SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
In a move to try and curb problem gambling rates in the country, Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies has started to look into the newly-proposed policies against pathological gambling behaviour.
The Commission for the Prevention of Addictions and Control of Drug Trafficking will be tasked with reviewing the proposals and decide whether they are suitable for implementation.
Part of the proposed mandate is the blanket ban on gambling ads, which was put forward by national deputy Maximiliano Ferraro. He believes that the country is currently experiencing an “epidemic” of problem gambling that was caused by the current regulations on gambling advertisements.
“Compulsive gambling is being a global problem, greater access through online games is affecting the lives of thousands of young people and families. In our country the economic situation aggravates the situation. For this reason, we consider it essential to legislate on this issue,” Ferraro said.
“The practice of gambling or betting is not a crime, but doing so compulsively can be detrimental and harmful to personal health and family life; it is urgent that Congress address this growing problem.”
Also of importance, the draft is looking to introduce a rule that allows players to fund their gaming accounts by only using cash or debit cards. This would potentially come packaged together with additional time and spend limits for online gambling platforms.
There are also rules that envision the implementation of player biometric data registries to prevent minors from interacting with the sector.
Ferraro’s co-party colleague Mónica Frade, who is also the President of the addictions commission and member of the Deputies Chamber, added: “It is an issue that is breaking families and adolescents. It is a problem that silently corrodes families.
“We are going to hold joint meetings with other commissions to move forward quickly with this.”
