Three years in prison for the person who set up a network of cashiers via WhatsApp
On the other side of the WhatsApp group were individuals who provided their own bank accounts to receive transfers from bettors and pay out winnings. These "cashiers" were the visible face of an illegal betting system, and the person who organized and managed them has just received a three-year prison sentence in the City of Buenos Aires.
The sentence was handed down through an abbreviated trial, at the request of the Specialized Gambling Prosecutor's Office (FEJA) of the Buenos Aires Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF), for having set up and operated a gambling business without the proper authorization. The agreement, already ratified by Criminal, Misdemeanor, and Minor Offenses Court No. 12, includes other obligations: a financial donation to the Lottery of the City of Buenos Aires (LOTBA), training on problem gambling provided by the same organization, and 100 hours of community service in a public entity.
The case began with a complaint describing the process: first an online casino application, then a messaging group with the cashiers. The investigation reconstructed how the network operated. Intermediaries contacted potential players, provided them with a username and password for the platform, and moved money in both directions via bank transfers or financial entities, without ever verifying the identity or age of the person joining.
There was also documented aggravating circumstance. The MPF's Judicial Investigation Unit verified, by reviewing images taken from the cell phone of one of the victims, that the cashiers pushed them to gamble compulsively. Forensic extraction of data related to bets and transfers later allowed the identification of the main suspect and established that he was operating without a LOTBA permit.
In the City of Buenos Aires, online gambling can only be offered with a LOTBA license, and FEJA is the prosecutor's office that focuses on investigations against clandestine offerings. The cashier-by-messaging scheme, which acts as a gateway to unlicensed platforms and allows money to be deposited and withdrawn without identity checks, is one of the models most pursued by Argentine regulators today, particularly due to the ease with which it reaches minors.
Tags: Specialized Gambling Prosecutor's Office, Buenos Aires City Lottery, illegal betting agents, clandestine gambling via WhatsApp