Buenos Aires Province is weighing a “Lula Law” to ban online betting

Buenos Aires Province now has a bill on the table that would pull the plug on online betting in the province, borrowing the political logic of Brazil’s recent move. For PSPs, acquirers, and operators in high-risk verticals, the important bit is simple: this is not another tighter-regulation draft, but a proposal to eliminate the licensed online model altogether.

1. The bill was introduced by provincial senator Federico Fagioli and would repeal Chapter VIII of Law on Online Gaming Regulation No. 15.079. If passed, it would remove the legal framework that currently allows online betting platforms to operate in Buenos Aires Province.
2. The nickname “Lula Law” refers to Brazil’s Provisional Measure 1.394/2026, signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on 25 September, which banned fixed-odds betting in Brazil. The Buenos Aires proposal points to that decision as its reference point, while remaining a provincial measure rather than a national one.
3. The ban would cover online gaming and slot machines, roulette, blackjack, poker, and any activity involving risking money in expectation of a gain or prize. According to Diputados Bonaerenses, only lotteries, quinielas, and raffles would remain permitted.
4. Fagioli’s argument is operational, not decorative: he says internet access has removed most of the physical, spatial, and time barriers that used to separate players from casinos and gaming halls. He also argues that mobile access creates fresh problems for provincial controls and prevention tools, which is the sort of sentence regulators tend to keep on their desks.
5. The proposal is not the only gambling bill under discussion in the Buenos Aires legislature. Another draft, with 64 articles, was introduced by Facundo Tignanelli and Micaela Olivetto and focuses on regulation, restrictions, and prevention rather than a full ban. Tignanelli said he personally favors a total prohibition, but argued that a measure of that scope would need national legislation.