Buenos Aires City bans online betting access for registered alimony debtors

The Buenos Aires City Legislature has approved a law that blocks people listed in the Public Registry of Alimony Debtors from opening or using accounts on licensed online gambling and betting platforms in the city. For PSPs, acquirers, and operators, the important part is not the policy headline but the mechanism: real-time checks before every transaction, plus immediate suspension and reporting if a user is found on the registry.

1. The new rule adds Article 17 bis to Law No. 269, which governs the registry of overdue alimony payers. Anyone listed there will not be allowed to open or keep active accounts, or make deposits, bets, or withdrawals on authorized online gaming and betting platforms in Buenos Aires City.
2. The restriction covers games of chance and skill, as well as any format administered by LOTBA S.E. (Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires S.E.). In other words, this is not a narrow sportsbook-only rule; it reaches the broader online gambling stack.
3. Before allowing any user, operators must automatically check in real time whether the person appears in the Public Registry of Alimony Debtors. If the result is positive, the user cannot be enabled. If an already active user is found in the registry, the operator must suspend the account immediately and notify both the registry and the relevant judicial authority.
4. The law also adds Article 17 ter on information handling and personal data protection. The City Executive, together with LOTBA S.E., must implement automated real-time query systems, and those queries may only confirm registry status. The data cannot be retained, used for commercial purposes, or used for user profiling, in line with Law No. 1845 on personal data protection.
5. Sanctions will be imposed by the city’s gaming regulator if operators fail to comply with the new verification rules. The penalties will be applied under the disciplinary procedures in gaming regulations and each platform’s concession documents, with possible additional violations under the Buenos Aires City Misdemeanors Regime. The Executive must regulate the law within 30 days after its publication in the Official Gazette.