Buenos Aires bans online betting for people listed as child support debtors

Buenos Aires City has prohibited online betting for people registered in its Public Registry of Child Support Debtors, applying the rule to all platforms licensed by Lotería de la Ciudad (LOTBA). For high-risk operators, the practical takeaway is simple: if you run regulated gaming in the city, the KYC and onboarding flow now has to check this registry in real time.

1. The measure blocks anyone listed in the Registro Público de Alimentantes Morosos (RPAM) from opening accounts, keeping active profiles, or making deposits, bets, and withdrawals on city-regulated gaming sites. It covers gambling, games of skill, and other digital formats administered by LOTBA.
2. Operators must carry out an automated, real-time query of the RPAM before onboarding a new account. If an existing user is found on the list, the company must suspend that profile immediately.
3. Companies also have to report the situation to the registry and to Buenos Aires City’s courts. Operators that fail to comply can face sanctions under the sector rules, concession terms, and the city’s violation regime.
4. The initiative adds Article 17 bis to Law No. 269, which created the debtor registry. It also sets out IT mechanisms for automatic checks and introduces safeguards for personal data protection.
5. Jorge Macri, chief of government of Buenos Aires City, said the restriction is part of the consequences applied to people who do not meet their financial obligation to support their children. Jesús Acevedo, president of Lotería de la Ciudad, said the rule links gaming regulation with child and adolescent protection.

The Registro de Deudores Alimentantes Morosos includes 13,500 registered people from Buenos Aires City and 14 provinces that have signed agreements with the city. The new betting restriction adds to existing limits already in place for registry members, including bans on obtaining credit cards, opening current accounts, or requesting and renewing loans at Banco Ciudad.