Argentine Senate advances online betting laws for minors
In a recent briefing held on Wednesday, July 3, the Health Committee of the Argentine Senate addressed the issue of online gambling and gambling addiction among minors, emphasizing the urgent need to legislate on this expanding phenomenon, especially among young people and adolescents. The committee chair, Senator Lucía Corpacci, expressed her concern about the growth of this problem and the lack of legislative progress, noting that it is essential to convene a plenary session with the other two involved committees: General Legislation and Justice.
Corpacci warned of the risk that the debate might not advance in the Upper House and that the discussion could be postponed until 2026, which would mean the loss of parliamentary status for the bills. "We are very concerned because the committees are not meeting in plenary to address this issue, and it will lose parliamentary status if we continue like this," stated the legislator. Therefore, she publicly requested the convening of the General Legislation and Justice committees to form the plenary and move forward with the legislative process.
The main bill, which already has preliminary approval from the Chamber of Deputies, was submitted to the Senate at the end of last year. Corpacci stressed: "We have a tremendous delay," and emphasized the need to "act now," since the deadline to address the initiative expires on November 30. She also detailed that there are about 20 proposals from different political groups filed in the Senate, which, after a request to the parliamentary secretary, were organized and referred to the Health, General Legislation, and Justice committees. "Like the preliminary approval, we from the Health Committee have repeatedly requested the formation of plenaries. We need all three committees to meet to be able to address the issue. From this space, we have sent two notes with no response from the other two committees. Therefore, I publicly invite us to finally make the decision to work on society’s demand. Gambling addiction is a problem that cuts across all sectors," Corpacci reiterated.
During the meeting, specialists in mental health, education, and public policy agreed on the importance of strengthening prevention and support against gambling addiction and online betting. Among the speakers were Ida López, president of the Association of State Lotteries of Argentina (ALEA); Facundo Bianco, director of the consultancy Bienestar Digital; Guadalupe Fúnez, president of the National Network of Student Centers (RENACE); María Cecilia García, president of the Pathological Gambling Chapter of the Argentine Psychiatric Association (APSA), psychiatrist and psychoanalyst; and Fernando Barilatti, secretary of the Social Pastoral of the Argentine Episcopal Conference and professor.
All specialists agreed on the urgency of implementing public policies that reinforce prevention and provide support to the most vulnerable sectors, especially minors, in the face of the advance of online betting and gambling addiction. The call from the Health Committee and the experts seeks to prevent the lack of legislative action from leaving a problem that affects Argentine society across the board unanswered.
Tags: Argentina, gambling addiction, RENACE, APSA