The initiative of Buenos Aires deputy Diego Garciarena has already received a report in the Addiction Committee of the Legislature.
Argentina.- Both in the National Congress and in the provincial Legislatures, work continues to find ways to prevent minors from accessing online betting, which is illegal throughout the Argentine territory.
In this regard, a project is advancing in the province of Buenos Aires, which seeks to amend Law No. 15.079 "Title VIII Online Gaming Regulation", focusing on adding biometric controls for identity validation when becoming users on these platforms, along with greater advertising restrictions.
The initiative presented in September by Diego Garciarena, president of the Buenos Aires deputies' block of the UCR + Cambio Federal, received a report in the Addiction Committee of the Buenos Aires Legislature and still has two more committees to go through
Garciarena stated on Radio Brisas that, although there are many ways to address the issue, today they are “busy and concerned about combating illegal gambling, but also against minors gambling legally».
«The approach we make through the bill is that we see that advertisements linked to successful people promoting gaming platforms are being made, something that is very harmful, because young people see their sports idol inviting them to play», he added.
On the other hand, the deputy explained: «By 2024 the platforms cannot sustain that they fail to establish a biometric system, something that banks and any app already have. It is very simple and involves an agreement with the National Registry of Persons (Renaper). With this, the age can be verified and the system will not allow access if the person is a minor».
The legislator also acknowledged that «if only legal gambling is regulated, it ends up benefiting illegal gambling, so actions must be taken together, but what we cannot do is nothing. Anything we can agree upon will be better than what we have today. Legislation will be perfected over time, but we cannot just sit idly by».
Regarding the progress of the initiative in the Buenos Aires Legislature, he explained that there are still «two committees left and we hope to move forward in Extraordinary sessions before the end of the year. We urge the governor to lend a hand in this, because it must be a state policy».
«I am in favor of strict regulation, but we need to move forward and then perfect the legislation. Things cannot continue as they are, because every day that passes is a life or the health of a kid that is being messed up for the future», he concluded on Radio Brisas.
It is worth remembering that in August a new similar project by the Renewal Front in the Province of Buenos Aires was added. The initiative of legislator Rubén Eslaiman proposes that online gaming licensees prevent minors from registering, incorporating facial recognition as a security measure to validate the true identity of the bettor.
