Kicillof hardens his stance against online gambling
Axel Kicillof brought online gambling into his national discourse. At the national launch event of the Movimiento Derecho al Futuro (MDF) in Avellaneda, the governor of Buenos Aires stated that he would not leave young people without a future and at the mercy of betting apps, placing the activity on the list of problems affecting youth.
There was no announcement behind the statement. Kicillof did not foreshadow a ban or new restrictions on existing licenses, but incorporating the issue into an event with national projection carries its own significance ahead of next year's presidential elections, in which he could be a candidate.
The concrete action was already underway through another channel. The Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos, through Resolution 1149/2026, set a 2 percent aliquot applicable to payments from chained bets in instant-resolution games, essentially virtual slots and slot machines.
The scope of this measure is specific. It applies to the seven licensees operating in Buenos Aires territory: bet365, Betano, Betsson, BetWarrior, bplay, Sport.bet.ar, and Stake. These companies are designated as substitute responsible parties and must sign a sworn statement each week confirming the amounts withheld. According to the estimate released by Government Minister Carlos Bianco, the scheme could generate between AR$35,000m and AR$40,000m per month, which will go into the Social Progress and Inclusion Fund (FOPIS) and be allocated to health, education, and social development programs.
The legal basis predates this. Article 137 of Law 15.079 already allowed for a band of between 1 and 3 percent on these prizes, a resource that originally went to municipalities and is now also extended to the digital channel.
That 2 percent does not come alone. Licensees already pay 15 percent on the gross profit from the digital channel, which the regulation defines as the amount wagered minus prizes paid, plus a 10 percent fee on the same basis, distributed between municipalities and General Revenues. It also doesn't cover everything: the tax only applies to that segment of instant-resolution chained bets, while sports betting, casino, lotteries, and horse racing are excluded. For sports betting, moreover, the regulation requires returning to the player, annually, no less than 80 percent of what was wagered.
The legislative front is advancing in parallel. In the Chamber of Deputies, the Committee on Gambling, Lottery, and Problem Gambling Prevention is working on a package of projects, and its head, Micaela Olivetto, stated at an informational session in September that the goal is for one or more to receive preliminary approval in October.
The hardening of tone does not occur in a vacuum. On the same day Kicillof spoke, Brazil was finishing digesting Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's decision to completely close the digital casino and sports betting channel, a shift that turned the debate on the sector into an electoral issue in the two largest countries in the region.
Tags: Axel Kicillof, 2% contribution to online gaming, Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos, FOPIS