Buenos Aires bill would add facial biometrics and ban bonuses in online gambling

Online gambling in Buenos Aires could become a lot harder to operate if a bill introduced by provincial deputies Facundo Tignanelli and Micaela Olivetto moves forward. The draft combines biometric identity checks, mandatory session breaks, tighter self-exclusion rules, and a heavy hand on advertising — the kind of package PSPs and operators will read as a compliance redesign, not a cosmetic tweak.

1. Every account would have to be personal and non-transferable, with facial biometric recognition used to confirm both identity and legal age. The check would be required when opening an account, at every login, when depositing or withdrawing funds, and for bets above the amount set by regulation.
2. The bill also puts hard limits on play time. A session would close automatically after 60 continuous minutes, and the user could not re-enter for the following hour. After the third login in the same day, access would be blocked for 24 hours. Platforms would also have to display the elapsed time and money wagered during the session at all times, and issue a warning after 30 minutes.
3. Operators would be required to offer tools for setting deposit limits. On the self-exclusion side, platforms would have to notify each temporary or permanent self-exclusion request to the Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos within 24 hours. The exclusion would take immediate effect across all licensed operators in territorio bonaerense, which would have to block access and return available funds within 10 business days.
4. The draft also creates a judicial route for more serious cases of compulsive or pathological gambling. A spouse, cohabiting partner, relatives up to a certain degree, or the Ministerio Público could request it, and a judge could order a precautionary entry in the self-exclusion registry based on a mental health professional’s report or other sufficient objective evidence.
5. Advertising gets the same treatment: every campaign would need prior, express, and specific authorization from the Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos, with the piece, media, diffusion period, and investment amount all specified. The draft bans any advertising, promotion, or sponsorship directed directly or indirectly at minors under 18, including the use of their images or voices, plus promotions in educational institutions or in content and time slots aimed mainly at that audience. It also bans online betting ads in public streets, public spaces, and private spaces open to the public, with exceptions only for prevention and assistance campaigns.