Argentina Orders Block on 537 Illegal Online Betting Sites in Buenos Aires Province

Argentine authorities have ordered the blocking of 537 unlicensed gambling and betting websites, in what officials describe as the largest mass takedown of illegal betting sites so far in Buenos Aires province. For PSPs and acquiring teams, the message is simple: the local enforcement net now clearly covers online operators, not just physical venues.

1. The order was issued by the Specialized Cybercrime Prosecutor’s Office of the San Isidro Judicial Department, as part of an investigation into the unlawful operation of gambling. The legal basis is article 301 bis of the Penal Code, which does not distinguish between land-based and online gambling.
2. The provision also reaches people who help run these illegal activities, including promotion and user acquisition. In other words, the exposure is not limited to the operator itself; the surrounding funnel is in scope too.
3. The judicial action followed evidence requests submitted by the Cámara Argentina de Salas de Casinos, Bingos y Anexos (CASCBA). Gonzalo Atanasof, president of Lotería y Casinos, said that each blocked illegal site is “one less door” to a clandestine circuit that does not protect players, does not verify identity, and allows minors to access it.
4. Prosecutor Patricio Ferrari said inter-institutional cooperation is essential to confront the growth of illegal betting and to protect children and adolescents from the risks tied to these platforms. The investigation found that the reported websites operated outside the regulatory framework, without controls or certifications to ensure transparency or randomness in games.
5. The probe also found serious failures in identity verification, which allowed minors to enter and increased their early exposure to online gambling. According to Kids Online Argentina 2025, conducted by UNICEF and UNESCO, one in three adolescents said they had bet money online at least once, while 47% know online betting platforms. Cruz Roja Argentina reported that 6 out of 10 adolescents had been exposed to betting, and 16% had bet at some point, mainly from a mobile phone. Legal sites can be identified by the “.bet.ar” domain; anything else is illegal.