Kaizen Gaming has warned that an outright ban on online gambling in Buenos Aires province could send more customers to offshore and illegal sites, rather than improving protection. The company said it backed stronger safeguards but opposed measures that would make the licensed offer unviable.
In comments to NEXT.io, Gabriel Buenos of Kaizen Gaming said the central test for new rules should be whether they bring players closer to a protected environment or drive them away from it. He said Betano, Kaizen’s brand, holds a provincial licence and that the company intended to remain within Argentina’s legal framework and a transparent market.
Kaizen argued that a reform package should pair player-protection measures with stronger action against unlicensed operators, as well as the payment providers and promoters supporting them. Buenos said restrictions that leave licensed companies less visible than illegal ones would undermine the regulated market.
The intervention comes as provincial lawmakers weigh sharply different routes for online betting. Federico Fagioli’s proposed “Lula Law” would prohibit online sports betting and casino games throughout Buenos Aires province, dismantling the licensing regime under Chapter VIII of Law No. 15,079. The bill has not been enacted.
Under Fagioli’s plan, existing authorizations would end 30 days after the law took effect. Operators would have 10 days to halt new games, remove advertising and block access for users in the province; they would also be barred from accepting new deposits. The ban would cover sports betting, slots, roulette, blackjack and poker, while provincial lotteries, quiniela and authorized draws would remain exempt.
A separate proposal led by Facundo Tignanelli and Micaela Olivetto would retain a regulated market while tightening controls. Its measures include advertising restrictions, biometric identity verification, compulsory breaks, self-exclusion and limits on gambling expenditure and platform time, alongside increased funding for prevention and treatment.
The regulatory proposal would also establish a specialist prosecutor’s office in La Plata to investigate illegal online betting, block websites and act against accounts facilitating prohibited activity. Advertising, promotion and sponsorship aimed at the province would require prior authorization from the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos, including where an operator was based elsewhere.
The debate is taking place against a large illegal-market estimate. NEXT.io cited estimates that offshore sites account for 80% of online gambling in Argentina, while provincial regulator Gonzalo Atanasof has said authorities made more than 80 judicial complaints against people promoting unlicensed gambling websites. Atanasof has separately warned that a total advertising ban for licensed firms could advantage illegal operators because only licensed advertising is directly controlled by the state.
Tomás García Botta of MF Estudio Abogados likewise said prohibition could leave substantial room for the unregulated sector. He called for stronger website blocking, disruption of financial transactions and action against bank accounts and digital wallets linked to illegal gambling.
