On July 3, 2024, the Prosecutor’s Office of Argentina’s Santa Fe Province issued a notice to the Central Bank and the National Communications Agency (ENACOM) requesting the suspension of 385 Operation of illegal gambling sites. The central bank subsequently directed all banks and virtual wallet platforms it regulates to also block the operations of these illegal gambling sites. Prosecutors Yanina Tolosa and Agustín Nigro asked ENACOM to block all gambling websites with non-".bet.ar" domain names.
In order to solve the problem of illegal online gambling and prevent minors from participating, the Santa Fe provincial government issued Resolution No. 39, deciding to block illegal gambling websites. Prosecutors asked the central bank to notify all financial institutions and payment service providers to ban the use of their digital tools for illegal gambling activities. At the same time, ENACOM is required to notify all value-added services, Internet and mobile network service providers to block users from accessing all online gambling services with non-".bet.ar" domain names.
In addition, the Santa Fe provincial government also submitted a request to the prosecutor's office to block 273 suspected illegal gambling websites and freeze their bank accounts. Later, the list expanded to 385 websites. The websites were accused of violating Article 301 bis of the Penal Code and lacking authorization from the Social Assistance Lottery Agency.
As the regulator of gambling activities, the CAS of Santa Fe Province warned that these websites violate responsible gambling and anti-money laundering by allowing minors to participate in gambling. Provisions. CAS Vice President Daniel Di Lena emphasized that all official gambling websites operating in Argentina must have the “.bet.ar” domain name and provide a series of supporting documents, including licenses issued by the country’s 24 regulatory agencies. He also pointed out that any gambling website operating in Argentina without a ".bet.ar" domain name is illegal.
It should be noted that the Province of Santa Fe passed Decree No. 562 on April 30, signed by Governor Maximiliano Pullaro, regulating virtual services in the province Gambling activities.
