The ordinance imposes restrictions on advertising and the installation of new gaming rooms, among other measures. Initially, the emergency will be declared for a period of one year.
Argentina.- During the last session of the City Council of Salta, council members proceeded to sanction the declaration of emergency regarding gambling and betting in the city for a period of one year.
As explained by the council members, the measure seeks to prevent pathological gambling through positive actions and update local regulations related to the theme.
The text of the sanctioned Ordinance establishes, firstly, the modification of Article 24 of Ordinance No. 13,777, on the Regulation of placement of public advertising signs, referring to general prohibitions in advertising. In this way, subsection ll is incorporated, which stipulates that advertising signs "may not incite, in any way, gambling or betting, in any form, to children and adolescents".
Furthermore, the implementation is foreseen, through the different areas of the Municipality and the City Council of Salta, of positive action measures in terms of prevention of pathological gambling or gambling addiction. On the other hand, it provides for the prohibition of access to online gambling and/or betting sites through the free Wi-Fi points of the Municipality. In this sense, it is established as a condition for the celebration and/or renewal of agreements with internet service providers that the procedure for blocking IP addresses of portals that promote, offer or organize online gambling or betting without the authorization of the competent municipal authority is incorporated.
The councilors highlighted that this is a proactive attitude on the part of the councilors to fight against problematic consumption and to unite actions to prevent. "We have to generate tools for this fight from the Municipality due to the situation that is being experienced," highlighted councilor Gonzalo Nieva.
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Another provision of the ordinance empowers the Municipal Executive Department to dispose of budgetary, material, and human resources to carry out effective actions in the prevention and fight against gambling addictions, through advertising campaigns, workshops, training, awareness on social networks, and other forms of protection. It also establishes that it must coordinate with the Government of the Province of Salta the execution of preventive measures in the school environment, through mandatory training on this topic.
Finally, the articles incorporate modifications in Articles 9 and 11 of Ordinance No. 7,258, on the Regulation of gambling. The first of these has been drafted as follows: "It is strictly prohibited to install gaming rooms, casinos, or electronic entertainment venues, including video lottery terminals (Video Lottery Terminal, VLT), within three hundred meters of any educational institution, whether at the initial, primary, secondary, higher, or special level, as well as authorized religious temples."
