ALEA renews its code of good practices with rules for AI
The Association of Argentine State Lotteries launched a Code of Good Practices for Responsible Commercial Communication in Online Gambling, conceived as a reference framework that seeks to align common criteria and standards among regulatory bodies, authorized operators, and the various actors involved in the activity. The official presentation took place on Thursday, July 16, at the entity's Meeting Center in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, and served to review the document's guidelines, define its scope, and exchange views on its implementation.
Ida López, president of the Provincial Institute of Games and Casino of Mendoza and of the association itself, explained that this current version updates and expands the code developed in 2021, with guidelines consistent with the current context, the evolution of digital channels, and new technologies. The leader framed the review within an increasingly dynamic iGaming ecosystem, where online gambling is already regulated in the vast majority of the country's jurisdictions. The stated objective is to strengthen the communication of official gambling, differentiate legal from illegal offerings, and promote ethical, transparent practices aimed at protecting individuals. According to the entity, it is a voluntary adherence document designed for provincial and city lotteries to adopt, in whole or in part, within their competencies.
The fundamental methodological change is the expansion of the classic concept of advertising. Under the more encompassing term of commercial communication, the code now regulates channels that are indispensable for operators today, including affiliate marketing and digital acquisition, live broadcasts, streaming and virtual communities, direct messaging systems and CRM automation, and content generated by influencers, streamers, and brand ambassadors.
On this basis, the reform rests on four pillars. The first is artificial intelligence, to which the code dedicates its own chapter in what the association describes as an unprecedented event for the region. The text explicitly prohibits using AI to profile bettors and identify economic fragility, impulsivity, or vulnerability for commercial purposes, automate the sending of bonuses or incentives at critical moments such as recent losses or self-exclusion requests, and generate artificial urgency or resort to emotion recognition to retain users.
The second pillar is the protection of minors. The document tightens filters with strict segmentation that requires excluding minors from digital marketing campaigns, prohibits gamification and characters or formats with youth appeal, and bans commercial communication in educational spaces, sports events, or mass events with a predominantly underage audience, in addition to preventing brands from being stamped on children's sports clothing. The third is extended responsibility for affiliates and intermediaries, whereby operators assume shared responsibility for what their commercial partners publish, with contracts that must include clauses for compliance with the code, clear identification of sponsored content, and the power to immediately remove any misleading or unauthorized material. The fourth aims at transparency in bonuses and promotions, with the requirement to clearly display rollover requirements, deadlines, and financial limits prior to subscription, and with the prohibition of presenting these offers as free or risk-free when they entail economic conditions.
The code also reaffirms the Argentine federal scheme, in which the primary responsibility for control and sanction falls on the regulators of each jurisdiction, respecting the non-delegated nature of gambling. In this distribution, the association will function as a technical assistance node, with operational guides, training, and collaborative compliance models to achieve homogeneous implementation nationwide. Finally, it recommends that all materials legibly display the responsible gambling warning and the indication of legal age.
Tags: Argentine State Lotteries Association, Ida Lopez, responsible commercial communication, artificial intelligence in gaming