The Chamber of Deputies of the Argentinian province of Mendoza passed a new online gambling bill last week with amendments, which now awaits approval or subject to change

This week, Mendoza’s new online gambling bill was modified in order to prioritise land-based casino operators.

Taking into account the current situation of being not being able to operate due to pandemic restrictions, deputy Josefina Canale (seen below),  former President of the Provincial Institute of Games and Casinos (IPJyC) stated, “companies that already have a licensed casino in Mendoza will have priority [when granting online licenses] because they have been closed since March and still have no opening date. If we open a competitive process, we’re making things more difficult for them.

The law will create a single registry of players who will be checked for information and the Institute will grant up to seven licences. These funds will help the Institute to set up the intelligence and data protection servers.”

Companies interested in operating online must meet the requirements of having a local address and an AR domain.

A minimum of two licences and a maximum of seven will be given, and ENACOM (The National Communications Entity ) will be the entity in charge of blocking all international and national platforms without a licence.

The Senate will have the final word, and as of now, only five individuals have voted against the law. The main argument of the opposers has been, as stated by Deputy Mercedes Lano that the project “presents potential danger of increasing gambling addiction,” and that “each house will have a casino”.

In regards to these arguments, Ida López, President of IPJyC said “online gambling already exists in the world, in the country and in the province”. Los Andes, local media outlet of the region, said “The regulation will allow us to prevent those in the Single Registry of self-excluded from the Province of Mendoza from betting and will also give them the possibility to exclude themselves and limit themselves if needed. There will be a strong impact on the advertising side, as responsible gaming parameters must be considered and they will need authorisation from the Institute. The same applies to bonuses, we aim to prevent problem gambling’.

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