Online gaming in Argentina

Currently, Chaco, Misiones, San Luis, Tucumán, Neuquén, Río Negro and Entre Ríos are the provinces that offer online gaming proposals. Buenos Aires will soon be included in that list. In Argentina, online gaming regulation is made province by province. In those provinces in which online gaming is regulated, users may participate on slots, poker games, virtual sportsbooks and poker. Every province defines the fee to charge operators and the percentage of gross income to be applied. Besides, Law 27.346 of Income Tax establishes that the revenue achieved due to gaming activities have to pay a fee of 41.50%.

The governor initiative

María Eugenia Vidal, Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, has a plan to regulate gaming, which can be extended to all Argentine provinces. With the aim to improve the collection of the treasury, Vidal proposed, at the end of 2018, a strategy to reorganize online gaming. According to Vidal, the new law will achieve around 2,200 million extra pesos for the province.

In 2019 budget, articles 142 and 143 indicate the new measures that will seek to regulate “electronic, informatic, telematic and interactive gaming,” which currently operate without a regulation in Buenos Aires.

The initiative aims Internet betting centers to pay a 15% of the collection in concept of gross income. This number would nearly double the current collection in Spain or England, two of the countries in which online gaming is quite extended.

Governor Vidal also aims to limit the number of licenses, so no more than seven companies would operate in the region.

Buenos Aires to have online gaming

The  proposal of the governor, which is included in the 2019 budget, was recently approved by the regional Chamber of Representatives, with 61 votes in favor and 23 against the measure. On top of the 15% tax, another tax will be created. It has not been defined yet, but may be around a 2%, as well a 2% tax to winning bets on slots. With this latest cannon, authorities expect to receive incomes of around 5 million pesos for the public treasury.

Buenos Aires government will regulate online gaming activity through the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos of Buenos Aires. Besides, a Registration of Online Gaming Licenses will be created, which will include all the operators that have been granted the licenses.

In order to obtain a license, natural persons or legal entities will have to accredit its economic, financial and professional or technical solvency. They will have to have the software, equipment, systems, terminals and instruments to pursue the activity and to be properly homologated. Such homologations will have to be supplied both by national and international entities. This way, the Institute of Lotteries will be able to habilitate a third party to pursue that functions.

Regulation also indicated the importance of having a technical system, by the operators, in order to guarantee confidentiality and security of the players’ data, as well as the authenticity of the bets and the compliance of legal obligations. Finally, licenses will have a maximum validity of 15 years.

Players accepted

According to the new online gaming law approved in Buenos Aires, people over 18 years old will be enabled to participate on this type of games of chance, with previous subscription to the Players Registration, which will be created for such purpose.

Great potential of online gaming in Argentina

Online gaming approval in Buenos Aires has had a great feedback by many sectors in Argentina. First of all, by the rest of the provinces, which are also studying to approve many regulations. Secondly, by international companies, which believe in the great potential of online gaming in the country. Argentina has more tan 16 million inhabitants and its citizens are very interested, both in sports and on new Internet games of chance modalities.