Buenos Aires provincial senator Federico Fagioli has tabled a bill to ban online betting outright. Fagioli represents the Fuerza Patria bloc. The draft repeals articles 146 to 173 of Law 15,079, which currently authorise online sports betting and casino games in the province.
Existing licences would be revoked automatically thirty calendar days after the law takes effect. New licensing stops immediately. The ban covers online sports betting, casino games, and any money game where the outcome is determined wholly or predominantly by chance. It applies to players in Buenos Aires province regardless of where the operator is licensed. Exemptions remain for official lotteries, quiniela and draws run by the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos, including electronic sales where expressly permitted.
Operators must stop accepting deposits the moment the law comes into force. They have ten calendar days to shut down games, remove advertising and block access for users in the province. All promotion of online betting is prohibited, including sponsorship and affiliate marketing. The regulator may seek blocking orders against non-compliant sites and apps, and enforcement extends to financial channels servicing banned games. Penalties include fines, closures, confiscation and disqualification.
Fagioli cites health and consumer protection risks, pointing to constant smartphone access and aggressive social-media marketing. The bill singles out minors. Prevention, support and treatment under Law 15,131 would continue and be strengthened. The draft has been dubbed 'Ley Lula' and runs counter to proposals in the provincial chamber of deputies, where Facundo Tignanelli and Micaela Olivetto are pushing to preserve licensing and tighten age verification and advertising rules instead. Their text has not secured committee backing. Fagioli's initiative remains a proposal and is not in force. For affiliates it is a signal to review Buenos Aires offers.
