Recently, the San Isidro Special Prosecution Unit for Cybercrime (UFEIC), based on information provided by the Cyber Patrol Division of the Argentine Federal Police, has shut down over 120 illegal gambling websites. These websites were unregulated across all 24 judicial jurisdictions in Argentina.
Prosecutor Alejandro Muso made the decision to block these sites, requesting the National Communications Agency (ENACOM) to prevent access to these sites proven to be operating illegally. He noted that these infringements were confirmed during the review of the websites.
All these non-compliant gambling websites did not include the domain "bet.ar". The only website using the "bet.ar" domain has been specially approved by the regulatory body of the Argentine Republic, representing a special area on the Internet, managed by the National Internet Domain Registry (La Nación Legal and Technical Secretariat).
Muso further pointed out in his proposal that these blocked sites could not even verify the identity of players, showing a disregard for the law by illegal gaming organizers. He also emphasized that the existence of these illegal sites leads to unfair competition for legal sites, which can create legitimate employment opportunities for society.
In the case heard by the San Isidro 4th Guarantee Court, these blocked sites were recognized as spaces unrelated to public finance cooperation and social purposes.
Muso concluded: "This is not just a measure taken due to national tax losses, but because, in our view, the state has failed to effectively control the issue of assisting minors in gambling. The core of our office's actions is to ensure legality and the general interest of society. Therefore, we request ENACOM to urgently intervene to terminate the extremely serious consequences brought about by these crimes."
