More than 16% of adolescents in Argentina’s Entre Ríos province have participated in online gambling at least once, according to findings from a national study led by the Humanitarian Observatory of the Argentinian Red Cross.
The research highlights significant exposure to digital betting platforms among youth and raises concerns about access controls and digital consumption habits.
The study, titled Online Betting and Adolescence, was conducted between Q4 2025, and involved 3,443 students across 40 public and private schools in six localities throughout the province.
While 16% of respondents reported direct participation in online betting, an additional 40% said they knew someone close to them who engages in the practice. Another 27% indicated no direct or indirect contact with online gambling, while 17% stated they had never heard of it.
Florentina López, Coordinator of Comprehensive Sex Education and Care Policies in the Educational Field at the General Education Council, said the findings provide concrete data to support existing prevention strategies.
She added: “This report allows us to measure a problem that the province has been addressing from a prevention standpoint. Having this concrete data helps us strengthen educational care policies developed in schools, focusing on digital consumption.”
The results reveal notable gender disparities. Participation among male students reached 23%, compared to 9% among female students, with prevalence increasing during middle and late adolescence. Geographic distribution across Entre Ríos remained relatively consistent, with participation rates ranging between 15% and 20% across all surveyed localities.
Accessibility to betting platforms emerged as a key concern. According to the study, 83% of adolescents use virtual wallets, while 46% received assistance from someone close to them when starting to gamble.
Between 82% and 94% of respondents, depending on age group and locality, perceived access to online betting platforms as easy. Meanwhile, between 38% and 46% incorrectly believed there are no legal age restrictions, pointing to insufficient controls and heightened vulnerability among underage users.
Curiosity (86%), entertainment (83%) and economic expectations (61%) were identified as the primary motivations for gambling, with digital advertising and social environment playing a significant role in exposure. Despite this, risk perception remains high. Between 67% and 85% of adolescents acknowledged potential harms such as addiction and debt, as well as negative impacts on emotional health, sleep patterns, academic performance and personal relationships. Female students demonstrated a particularly high awareness of these risks.
López emphasized the need for coordinated responses. She said: “The results reinforce the necessity for integrated actions that strengthen regulation, support families and schools, and promote critical digital education focused on care, prevention and rights protection.”
She added that her office has developed theoretical materials, regulatory frameworks, intervention guidelines and specific educational proposals addressing online betting, alongside roundtable discussions and training sessions on digital consumption.
The findings add to the broader policy debate in Argentina regarding youth exposure to online gambling, particularly within a fragmented regulatory framework that places primary responsibility at the provincial level.
The study was supported by the Empress Shôken Fund (FES), through funding granted to the Argentinian Red Cross’s Humanitarian Observatory and National Youth Coordination
