Imminent Regulation of Online Gambling in Argentina

September 22nd, 2009 

Argentina’s government plans to follow the lead of many other countries around the globe and finally regulate online gambling, according to Presidential Cabinet Chief Anibal Fernandez. One of the reasons behind this initiative is thought to be the curbing of illegal and unregulated offshore casino operators, but rumour has it that the main drive for passing legislature to legalize online gambling is actually soccer betting (locally known as “futbol”).

That’s because online betting on soccer games would be a great source of revenue to the government, which has taken over the soccer television broadcast rights from the cable operators. This would also explain the dramatic change in Argentina’s approach towards online gaming within the same year, from a potential ban to a likely and relatively quick legalization and regulation. However, Fernandez has stated that they want to speed up the process, but warns that it could take as long as two years for this to happen.

Especially relevant during the current economic crisis, Argentina’s government could really use the extra revenue that online gambling could provide, and it could also have a positive effect on the position that the rest of the world has towards online gaming. For example, USA lawmakers �"which are in the process of passing a similar online gambling legislation, could use Argentina as a precedent for their own bill.