The president of the Santa Cruz Lottery, Juan Maier, said that illegal gambling mainly affects young people.
Argentina.- Juan Maier, the president of the Santa Cruz Lottery (LOAS), spoke about the proliferation of illegal online gambling sites in the province and expressed his concern about it, as these clandestine platforms allow young people to easily access them without any filters.
Maier recalled that to eradicate illegal sites, LOAS is working closely with the Association of State Lotteries, Casinos, and Betting Pools of Argentina (ALEA), related areas of the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (CABA) and the National Government, the cyberpatrol sector of the Central Bank, security forces, and the National Secretariat for Comprehensive Drug Policies of Argentina (SEDRONAR).
However, the official admitted his concern about the "proliferation of sites". In this context, Maier explained: "We have legally authorized online gambling sites, where only adults can play, meaning you have to register and provide all personal data, including biometric data. In contrast, these clandestine sites are very easily accessible and have no filters for minors."
Furthermore, the official placed special emphasis on the importance of prevention: "In Santa Cruz, we are working with the Provincial Council of Education (CPE), with people from the Mental Health Center, and with our Responsible Gaming team to carry out campaigns that provide information to children, but also to parents who are the ones who can talk to the minors."
He added that despite recognizing that children "find ways to access" these types of sites, it is necessary to insist on prevention to care for and protect minors.
See also: Stop to online gambling advertisements in Santa Cruz: Law 3,872 was enacted
Maier also clarified that most provinces have legal sites and that Santa Cruz respects the issue of jurisdiction so that in each provincial state, its own inhabitants can play. In this regard, he recalled that in his province the official site is Casino Club, where only the people of Santa Cruz play.
"The battle is tough, because we can do everything by the book, but on these illegal sites, people can play from everywhere, they do not comply with the regulations, and when we shut them down, they easily reopen them under a new name," he concluded.
On the other hand, the head of the Santa Cruz Lottery announced that in the coming days a special draw will be held to celebrate Mother's Day. It will be a telebingo with six rounds offering more than AR$58m (almost USD60,000) in prizes and two cars to be raffled.
