Overview
- In October 2026 the Senate is weighing two distinct bills: a prevention-focused law passed by the Chamber of Deputies in late 2024 and an alternative enforcement-oriented proposal the Executive sent in May 2026.
- The Diputados text would ban mass advertising and public sponsorships, regulate promoters and influencers, create a single registry of bettors with age and geolocation checks, and install self-exclusion rules to limit youth exposure.
- The Executive bill concentrates on punishing unauthorized operators and includes prison terms of several years for illegal platform operators and for firms that knowingly provide essential services, plus powers to block domains and restrict financial flows.
- Private betting firms are lobbying senators to avoid new commercial limits on licensed operators and to prioritize enforcement against illegal platforms, while the Catholic Church and public-health advocates are urging senators to pass the stricter Diputados measure to protect young people.
- Provincial moves in Buenos Aires that would ban bonuses, tax advertising revenue for mental-health programs, and enable site-blocking increase pressure on national legislators and make a Senate vote before the legislative year ends the key next step to set nationwide rules.