D
uring a legislature meeting held Thursday, lawmakers approved a resolution by the Buenos Aires City Lottery (LOTBA, in Spanish) which includes amendments to the guidelines for the implementation of online gambling and its licensing tender process in the city.
The legislature also approved amendments to the Buenos Aires City Lottery Act that prohibit those charged with or sufficiently suspected of engaging in certain unlawful activities against the public administration, such as corruption or organized crime, among others, from securing an online gambling license.
Now, operators of land-based gaming venues in the city —the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo racetrack and Casino Buenos Aires— have been allowed to apply for online licenses, something which at first lawmakers had not permitted, in an attempt to avoid “monopolistic practices.”
It is worth noting that the licensing process was suspended and was awaiting some definitions, so now, the process will resume and it is expected that before the end of the year, the first license holders will begin to operate online in Buenos Aires City.
Legislative efforts against gambling addiction
During the same legislature meeting, lawmakers passed the first Gambling Addiction Prevention Act in the city, which seeks to prevent problem gambling both in the land-based and online sectors and also raise awareness on the existence of problem gambling and gambling addiction and avoid harm to individuals, households and the society as a whole.
The piece of legislation seeks to reduce the population and the players’ exposure to situations, factors, and conditions that could result in gambling addiction, and provide problem gamblers and their families with “the relevant psychological and/or clinical treatments they may need.”
As regards online operations, the law outlines that those who engage in this activity must provide users with precise and complete information about the game’s rule, winning chances, and more. They must also generate a gaming profile that allows gamblers to access their gaming record, information about their behavior so they are able to make informed decisions about their gambling habits.
