Santa Fe reissues NoGarpa against adolescent gambling
Lotería de Santa Fe launched a second phase of NoGarpa, its awareness campaign aimed at curbing gambling among children and adolescents. The concept chosen this time is called "Apodos" (Nicknames) and is guided by a single premise: that a debt shouldn't change your name. With this, the lottery seeks to highlight the social aspect of out-of-control gambling.
The piece maintains the tone and visual identity of the first edition but changes the narrative, now following the path from betting to debt, and from debt to the deterioration of relationships. The graphic device is seen on sports jerseys, where the player's surname is replaced by the nickname they acquire, such as "You still owe me," "When are you giving it back?" or "Give me what I lent you," which is how a group ends up naming the one who failed to pay.
The rollout combines outdoor advertising, social media, and audiovisual content. The central spot features young athletes who chose their own federations, with athletics, rugby, volleyball, hockey, basketball, and soccer represented in the cast. The lottery also extended an invitation to clubs to commit to prevention within their institutions. The campaign also includes guidance and assistance channels for those already experiencing a problematic gambling situation.
The executive vice president of the organization, Daniel Di Lena, emphasized the reach athletes have among their peers and thanked those who joined this second edition, stating, "Their contribution is invaluable because we understand that from the position each one holds, they reach many other young people." The official identified the risk on two levels: betting as a minor and doing so in illegal digital environments. He concluded by acknowledging the federations, which acted as a link between the lottery and the invited athletes.
The campaign relies on a different mechanism than the classic preventive message. Instead of warning about financial loss, which is an abstract risk for an adolescent without their own income, it targets group sanction—the nickname that sticks when what was borrowed is not returned. This is a cost that a fifteen-year-old can indeed grasp, because it happens in the locker room and not on an account statement. The next step is measurement, as none of the Argentine provincial campaigns of the last two years have published indicators of their effect on minors' gambling behavior, and without that data, the second edition is evaluated by audience reach and not by results.
Tags: Santa Fe Lottery, NoGarpa, responsible gaming, underage gambling