BA City appoints Jesús Acevedo to lead LOTBA 

The Executive of the City of Buenos Aires has announced the appointment of Jesús Acevedo as the new President of the Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA).

The appointment was sanctioned by Jorge Macri, the City Governor of Buenos Aires, who confirmed that Acevedo will succeed Martín García Santillán as President of LOTBA.

Acevedo has previously served as the Secretary of Institutional Management within former President Mauricio Macri‘s Argentina PRO cabinet, which concluded its term in December 2019.

Acevedo’s high-profile experience also includes a role as Secretary General of International Affairs for River Plate FC.

As President of LOTBA, Acevedo will oversee the dual responsibilities of the organisation, which is charged with operating the municipal lottery of Buenos Aires and serving as the licensing authority for gambling licences in BA City (both land-based and online).

2021 saw Buenos Aires launch separate regimes for regulating online gambling, managed by LOTBA for ‘BA City licences’ and the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos (IPLyC) for ‘BA Province licences’.

At the end of 2023, Axel Kicillof, the governor of BA Province, dismissed IPLyC President Omar Galdurralde, citing untenable corruption charges in Lanús.

Under Acevedo’s leadership, LOTBA is expected to implement stricter monitoring of BA City’s online gambling regime, to prevent unauthorised gambling and to increase funding for the executive branch of Buenos Aires.

In 2023, LOTBA signed a memorandum with the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) to promote a regulated, transparent, and responsible betting market.