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In the province of Buenos Aires, the laws governing gambling are being amended, and a bill has been presented to the Legislature to reinforce the regulation of advertising for online gambling operators and to curb minors’ access to their ads.
The event is promoted by provincial deputies Fabián Luayza and Viviana Romero, and comes after a spate of legislative interest in the issue of gambling regulation after the establishment of the Gambling, Lottery and Gambling Addiction Prevention Commission in February 2026. The commission was formed to solve problems with oversight, control, and regulation of the gaming industry.
The key areas of the proposal are to adjust current laws to suit the new marketing methods employed by online betting sites, specifically in relation to digital outlets, social media, and the use of public figures.
Restrictions on Influencers, Athletes and Public Figures
One of the core aspects of the bill is the online gambling operators’ ban on having influencers, streamers, professional athletes, artists, public figures, or sports organizations promote betting platforms.
The restriction would apply to a number of promotional activities, such as sponsored posts, commercial mentions, discount codes, affiliate links, exchanges, and other marketing activities passed on via social networks and digital platforms.
Lawmakers claimed that the existing guidelines govern advertising practices of licensed operators, but have not explicitly addressed indirect marketing methods that are increasingly adopted by younger people.
As the deputies have pointed out, the Regulation does not specifically address such types of indirect promotion, one of the predominant methods of gaining new young customers.
New Rules for Youth Protection and User Verification
The proposed reform further imposes further limitations on the type of content that may be used to prevent the influence of betting campaigns on minors.
The bill would outright ban the use of visual or audio elements, characters, and other resources that are deemed to be appealing to minors. The limits would be enforced on content shown in digital venues, events, or platforms that are primarily directed at children and/or teenagers.
One of the critical steps is to tighten up the age verification process of online betting sites. More sophisticated identification systems, such as biometric technologies, will be needed, alongside facial recognition, verification of electronic documents, and linkages with official databases.
If the platform detects an account associated with a minor, it would be obligated to cease all new wagering, suspend the account immediately and take steps to ensure that such an account is not registered again.
If a student fails to comply with the academic honesty policy, the following sanctions will be applied: The bill provides for penalties for operators that do not meet the proposed requirements. The financial penalties, temporary suspension or revocation of operating permission, and even the withdrawal of the licence can be imposed depending on the gravity of the violation, repeated violations, and potential harm caused by the violations.
The lawmakers pointed to growing smartphone usage, social media and streaming platforms bringing with them new challenges for regulators, as the reason for the fast expansion of online betting.
The proposal comes as authorities around Latin America take up-to-the-minute reviews of gambling advertising frameworks, with a particular focus on youth protection and responsible gambling procedures.
Focus on Updating Regulation Without Restricting Legal Operations
The bill includes tougher regulations for advertising, but its sponsors noted that the goal is not to ban regulated gambling in Buenos Aires.
The final result of the present proposal is not to modify the legal regime for licensed gambling activities in the Province of Buenos Aires in any way, nor to limit the lawful activities of the licensed operators, but on the contrary, to reinforce existing prevention mechanisms and to make the provincial legislation more relevant in today’s technological world.
The initiative will now proceed through the provincial legislative process, where legislators will consider its potential implications on advertising standards, operators’ obligations and consumer protections in the regulated online betting space.
Source: SBC Noticias
