Olivetto to Chair Gaming and Gambling Addiction Commission
Three months after its creation, the Gaming, Lottery, and Problem Gambling Prevention Commission of the Chamber of Deputies of the province of Buenos Aires defined its authorities this week. The ruling party deputy Micaela Olivetto was appointed to chair the body, a decision that puts an end to the internal dispute over who would lead the most sensitive legislative debate of the year for the gaming sector in Buenos Aires territory.
According to provincial media such as Diputados Bonaerenses and La Tecla, the vice-presidency will be held by PRO legislator Fernando Rovello. Formal officialization by the head of the Chamber of Deputies, Alejandro Dichiara, is still pending. Several political groups vied for leadership of the commission, a sign of the weight that the gaming regulatory agenda already holds within the Buenos Aires Congress.
The commission's central mission will be to issue an opinion on the project related to the regulation, authorization, control, and oversight of gambling in all its forms. The definition expressly includes online betting, digital platforms, and new technologies applied to gaming, as well as advertising, promotion, and sponsorships related to the activity, a broad universe that defines the scope of the debate.
The provincial ruling party will seek to advance with a text agreed upon by the different blocs. Almost all groups have at least one initiative presented on problem gambling and prevention measures. Proposals range from restricting internet access in schools and controls on online betting advertising in public spaces, to the creation of public prevention centers and specific regulation of the lottery agency network.
The parliamentary movement in Buenos Aires runs parallel to a similar debate in other provinces and the discussion of the national Executive's project against problem gambling, criticized by the opposition. The Buenos Aires strategy provides a key piece of information for Latin America: Argentina's most populous jurisdiction is organizing its own debate and opens the door to comprehensive legislation that could become a reference for the rest of the provinces and for coordination with the Lotería de la Provincia, the main gaming operator in the region.
Tags: Argentina, Buenos Aires, Argentina regulation, Argentina problem gambling, Deputies PBA, provincial gambling