Through a decree and the sanction in the Senate of a bill, the province has two new regulations to strengthen responsible gaming and combat pathological or risky behaviors.
Argentina.- The government of the province of Catamarca advanced yesterday in consolidating measures aimed at combating problematic gambling and the access of young people and adolescents to betting sites.
On one hand, the provincial government published a decree that creates the “Plan for prevention, approach, and awareness”, aimed at children and adolescents. Within the decree, the Government indicates that it is “imperative to adopt effective preventive measures to educate, raise awareness, and protect mainly the child and youth population against possible problematic consumption, as well as the risks associated with pathological gambling”.
At the same time, it states that “it is a priority to enact preventive measures to avoid or reduce this scourge, therefore promoting an interdisciplinary approach to this issue with joint work between the Caja de Crédito y Prestaciones Provincial (Capresca) and the ministries of Education, Health, Social Development, Security, and Science and Technological Innovation”.
At the same time, the Government's instrument establishes minimum action axes for the Caja de Créditos and the cited ministries. In this regard, it provides that in the educational field, actions aimed at students of primary and secondary levels, both public and private, teachers, and families, should be promoted to educate about the responsible use of technologies. In the health field, the actions of the plan should be focused on the sensitization and treatment of problematic digital consumption and its effects, “providing tools for identification and approach, the promotion of offline spaces, and the prevention of problematic digital consumption from the conceptual framework of universal and specific prevention”.
It also addresses the field of social and human development - where the socioeconomic and family impact of each person is considered - and responsible gaming, in order to promote joint work with various entities and campaigns to spread healthy habits of technology use. Meanwhile, through the decree, the Government left in the hands of the Caja de Crédito y Prestaciones Provincial the coordination and control of the program. This entity may establish a system of monitoring and periodic evaluation to measure the impact of the actions implemented and adjust strategies as necessary.
In parallel to the publication of the provincial decree, the Catamarca Senate approved yesterday the bill to implement throughout the territory a campaign of awareness and prevention aimed at children and adolescents about the harmful effects of virtual, sports, and other types of betting.
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The proposal already had half sanction in the Chamber of Deputies, so after the favorable vote in the Senate, it became the Law 5.889. The norm aims to establish a regulatory framework, preventive measures, and awareness regarding online games and betting, to prevent and eradicate ludopathy and cyberludopathy in children and adolescents of our province.
