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The Lotería para Obras de Acción Social de Santa Cruz (LOAS) has recently commemorated its first Prevention Workshops on Gaming and Online Betting. The event, which was celebrated on August 28 and 29, aimed at making people aware and promoting education about problem gambling behavior, targeting in particular the growing iGaming market.
According to LOAS President Claudia Pavez, the measure reflects “the worth of an integral approach with collaboration among other institutions and ministries.” This perspective stresses the recognition that excessive gaming is less a matter of personal difficulty than a social issue that requires joint, multi-sectoral measures.
Collaboration Across Institutions
The opening ceremony brought together representatives of several provincial institutions. The Provincial Education Council, the Ministry of Social Development, Equality and Integration, and the Ministry of Health and Environment were represented by Adela Vera, Luis Quiroga, and Jorge Rey, respectively.
In a similar way, experts from Buenos Aires Lottery and Lotería de Córdoba were among those to participate, highlighting the need for knowledge and practice sharing at the national level. For LOAS, this alliance strengthens the process of creating harmonized policies and best practices in the avoidance of gambling harm.
Preventing Problematic Gaming and Illegal Platforms
In her remarks, Pavez pointed out that the workshops aimed to solve two big problems: destructive gambling consumption and the transmission of illegal betting platforms. Both are extremely difficult in the technology age, in which online facilities are expanding very rapidly, particularly among youth.
Through a sequence of training workshops and discussions, the workshops sought to equip educators, social workers, and members of the community with the capacity to identify risk factors, promote awareness, and create safe spaces for dialogue. This preventive method prioritizes prevention, instead of postponing prevention until something goes wrong and remedial reactions are all that can be applied.
Engaging Youth as Agents of Change
One of the main emphases of the workshops was youth engagement. While adolescents and young adults are generally at higher risk for developing detrimental betting habits, LOAS is trying to redefine their place, from at-risk group to potential answer.
Workshops were conducted in secondary school student centers using interactive workshops and dynamic discussions to attract the youth audience. As Pavez explained, “They need to be engaged and acknowledged as leaders, so they can reproduce the information among other children.” Through direct engagement of students, the program facilitates peer-to-peer learning, an efficient tool in fostering resilience and preventing risk-taking behaviors.
Consolidating Social Commitment Through Financing
Pavez also reminded one of the participants that LOAS operates under a definite social mandate, since 95% of its budget goes to the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Health. This source of funding supports the organization’s commitment to society’s well-being and accounts for the rationale behind preventive measures: in the end, it is to protect and improve the population that benefits from lottery resources.
Constructing a Culture of Awareness
The Santa Cruz workshops are a significant milestone in Argentina’s ongoing efforts to harmonize iGaming expansion with prudent gaming behavior. In encouraging interagency collaboration, incorporating lessons from other provinces, and giving youth the power to participate in prevention, LOAS is paving the way for a healthier gaming culture.
The success of the event suggests a larger pattern in Latin America, in which regulators and lotteries are becoming increasingly sensitive to the social risks of gambling and seeking new means of countering them. For Santa Cruz, the initial workshops are only the beginning of a long-term effort to promote transparency, education, and prevention within a shifting gaming landscape.
Source: YogoNet
