Buenos Aires bans online betting for registered child-support debtors

The Buenos Aires City Legislature approved a law on Thursday 27 that bars people listed as child-support debtors from accessing online gambling and betting platforms. For operators, the important bit is not the policy argument; it is the new mandatory real-time check before every transaction, which turns a legal registry into a live payments and onboarding control.

1. The law was introduced by deputy Leandro Santoro and adds a new article 17 bis to Law No. 269, which governs the Public Registry of Maintenance Debtors in the city. In practice, that registry is now tied directly to online gambling access.
2. Anyone entered in that registry will be prohibited from opening accounts, keeping them active, making deposits, placing bets, or withdrawing funds on online gaming platforms authorized in Buenos Aires. The restriction covers both games of chance and games of skill, including any modality run by the Buenos Aires City Lottery (LOTBA).
3. To make the ban work, the rule requires a real-time verification before each transaction to check whether the person attempting to play is registered as a maintenance debtor. That check becomes mandatory for every operator licensed in the city.
4. The reform also adds article 17 ter, which orders the implementation of a technological tool connecting the debtor registry with online gambling control systems. The Buenos Aires City Executive Branch and LOTBA will be responsible for putting that automatic consultation system into operation.
5. The law is explicit about data handling: the consultation may only confirm whether the person is or is not registered in the database. The data cannot be stored, used for commercial purposes, or used to build user profiles, in line with Law No. 1845, Argentina’s personal data protection law. Operators that fail to comply face sanctions under Buenos Aires gaming disciplinary procedures and the concession terms for each platform, and the breaches may also fall under the city’s Régimen de Faltas. The City Executive Branch has 30 days from publication in the Official Gazette to regulate the law before the verification system has to be ready.