July 1, Buenos Aires, Argentina The municipality has announced that it will stop issuing online casino licenses over concerns about the harm gambling can cause to minors. City manager Jorge Macri said the regulator, the Buenos Aires Municipal Lottery (LOTBA), had closed applications for the license.
The existing 11 licensed operators will continue to operate, but The government has announced an immediate review, with the age verification process at the center of it.
Buenos Aires opened its doors to tourists in 2020 Regulated online gambling market, LOTBA works with foreign online operators including bet365, GiG, Betsson and Playtech to accept applications from municipal gambling businesses. However, Macri noted that underage gambling has become a major concern for parents.
"We are not here to ignore these issues," Macri said. . We are taking them seriously, even if we don’t have all the solutions at hand, but our position is clear: we deny access to gambling to minors.”
A review of existing operators will ensure valid licensees Use an age verification system and implement self-exclusion tools and limits on player time and losses. Operators will be required to introduce warnings and restrictions for transactions and advertising to prevent minors from gambling using incorrect information.
Macri also announced that he would provide support for minors with gambling problems Set up facilities and plans to work with e-commerce and social media platforms to block or remove content promoting illegal gambling. The government also intends to restrict access to gambling sites using government WiFi networks.
LOTBA president Jesús Acevedo said regulators had blocked 715 social media accounts and advertisements, and has issued orders to block 12 domain name websites ending with .ar.
