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Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies passed a bill late on Wednesday (November 27) aimed at preventing gambling addiction and restricting youth access to online betting, including banning nearly all advertising.
In a special session full of personal barbs and impassioned speeches, 139 deputies voted for the bill, 36 against and 59 abstained. The bill will now go to the Senate for discussion.
The bill modifies Law 26,934, which addresses problematic consumption caused by both substances and activities that produce “certain compulsive behaviors”.
According to a statement from the Chamber of Deputies, the project addresses: the prevention of addiction to virtual games of chance in children and adolescents; a comprehensive plan to address problematic consumption; the prohibition of advertising for online gambling; and the limitation of advertising in the transmission of professional football.
The bill also outlaws everyone under the age of 18 from accessing online platforms. Adolescents as young as 13 in Argentina have access to certain financial products, including special bank accounts.
Article 8 of the bill has drawn criticism as it prohibits nearly all advertising.
The text that was passed prohibits advertising in all media, including social networks, podcasts, television, radio and on sports jerseys. Any indirect advertising from influencers or celebrities is also banned. Advertising is allowed in gaming rooms.
Sponsorships of sports teams, if passed by the Senate, would also not be permitted. Significant pushback from both the teams and their sponsors is expected.
Welcome bonuses will also be forbidden. Payment methods will be restricted to debit cards and electronic wallets that have daily limits.
Article 17 will restrict those with “direct or indirect” links to online betting platforms from being a part of electoral lists in civil sports associations.
That article drew the ire of businessman Daniel Angelici, who was once the president of Boca Juniors and the vice president of the Argentine Football Association.
He did not deny in the press that he made many phone calls to deputies in an attempt to nix that requirement.
There was debate over advertising restrictions; the majority opinion was passed but the minority opinion wanted restrictions that would have been more general. The majority argued that they wanted everything to be as specific as possible in the text itself as they did not trust officials not to meddle.
The official they are referring to is Juan Bautista Ordóñez, a former Codere employee who recently became the Secretary of Childhood, Adolescence and Family.
Mónica Frade, who is the president of the Chamber’s Commission for the Prevention of Addictions and convened the joint commission that launched the project back in early summer, commented that although gambling is legislated by province, the purpose of the bill is to "give it a national framework and for the provinces to adhere to this norm …. We are here to give them a tool for a legal vacuum that they have today.”
