Corrientes, Argentina regulates temporary gambling at horse races
The Argentine province of Corrientes formalized a regulatory framework for pari-mutuel betting on horse races and so-called temporary gambling tables. The measure was enshrined in Resolution 0423-1, published in the provincial Official Gazette on May 13, after the decision to proceed with the regulation was announced on May 8.
The text was issued by the Corrientes Lottery and Casino Institute, known as ILCC. The resolution establishes the conditions under which gambling tables operating in the context of equestrian events in different parts of the provincial territory may be organized, an activity that until now operated outside a formal framework.
An explicit recognition of prior informality
One of the most striking aspects of the decision is that the ILCC itself recognizes, in the recitals of the resolution, that this activity has been carried out for a long time and without control. The phrase, included in the official text, justifies the need to move forward with a regulatory framework that allows for the ordering of what was already happening in practice during Corrientes' equestrian events.
The new regime covers two distinct figures. On the one hand, pari-mutuel betting, a system in which prizes are distributed among winning bettors from the total pool collected in each race. On the other hand, temporary gambling tables, time-limited authorizations to operate within specific equestrian events, a figure that the local press also describes as temporary mini-casinos.
The regulation sets obligations for organizers, establishes ILCC controls, and defines authorized spaces, in a scheme designed to combine the tradition of horse racing in inland Corrientes with the oversight of the provincial body. For the sector, it also represents a formal way of generating income and an additional revenue channel for the province.
Corrientes' step joins the broader process that several Argentine jurisdictions are undergoing, where provinces and cities are discussing how to frame gambling phenomena that historically developed outside regulation. In Latin America, the trend is repeated with nuances, with regulators seeking to expand their perimeter of control over hybrid activities between traditional gambling, horse racing, and new betting modalities.
Tags: Argentina, Corrientes, ILCC, horse racing betting regulation