The Deliberative Council of the City of Córdoba has passed Ordinance No. 13510, which has already been promulgated by the Executive.
Argentina.- With the aim of "preventing and mitigating the effects of online betting on children, adolescents, and the community at large," the Municipality of the City of Córdoba has enacted Ordinance No. 13510, which, among other things, establishes a ban on the advertising of online betting in municipal settings, and the development of awareness campaigns.
The initiative was approved by the Deliberative Council of the capital of Córdoba and will come into effect thirty (30) days after its promulgation, that is, at the beginning of February this year, more than a year after the implementation of the online gambling mode throughout the provincial territory.
Regarding the awareness campaign, the Municipality of Córdoba will implement a comprehensive and permanent campaign on the risks of online betting, which will include informational material in audiovisual and digital formats; open talks in community and educational centers; promotion of sports and recreational activities, and spaces for containment staffed by municipal health workers.
Furthermore, Article 3 of the ordinance stipulates that the Municipal Executive Department, through the Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and the Secretary of Smart City and Digital Transformation, or those that may replace them in the future, will implement actions with educational content that include: sensitization workshops; talks with specialists in gambling addiction; material on cybersecurity; testimonials from affected individuals; and information about the Responsible Gaming Program.
One of the key points of the regulation promulgated by the Municipal Executive headed by Daniel Passerini is Article 4, which refers to advertising. "All forms of advertising for online betting in public municipal spaces and events organized, sponsored, or benefited - in any way - directly or indirectly, by the Municipality of Córdoba, whether through the Central or Decentralized Municipal Public Administration, the Deliberative Council, the Court of Accounts, the Administrative Court of Misdemeanors, and other entities or companies with majority participation by the Municipal State," states the article.
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The ordinance also indicates that the Secretary of Smart City and Digital Transformation will arrange the blocking on municipal Wi-Fi networks to prevent access to online betting sites, adult sites, and sites that may facilitate scams and other crimes.
Finally, Article 6 details that the authority responsible for the application of the norm will be the Secretary of Education, or the one that may replace it in the future; which may coordinate with the Secretary of Health and the Secretary of Smart City and Digital Transformation, or those that may replace them in the future, of the Municipal Executive Department.
It is worth remembering that on September 19 of last year, the Córdoba legislature ratified the validity of Law 10.793 which regulates the operation of online gambling throughout the province. In the parliamentary debate, various sectors of the opposition sought the repeal of the norm, something that ultimately did not happen by only one vote.
In this way, the ruling party managed to impose its idea that necessary changes be made to the norm, but not to move towards the repeal of the law, as proposed by the provincial opposition.
To ensure the law remains in effect, from the ruling party, through legislator María Acevedo, a series of changes to the norm were promoted, specifically in Articles 8, 14, and 20, in addition to incorporating the Biometric Data Registry within the Player Registry to prevent access by minors, as a key point of the reform.
Also, progress was made in providing the authority responsible for the application –Lottery of Córdoba– with the necessary mechanisms for the control of advertising and the mandatory conduct of prevention campaigns.
In her presentation in the chamber, Acevedo listed the modifications introduced to the online gambling law:
