Argentina’s national problem gambling helpline registered a sharp increase in gambling-related consultations in 2025, with total calls climbing 27% year-on-year, according to data released by the Secretariat of Integral Drug Policies (Sedronar).
The service received 396 calls linked to compulsive gambling during 2025, up from 311 in 2024. Since records began in October 2018, the line has logged 1,033 gambling-related consultations, with the steepest increase occurring between 2023 and 2024, when calls surged 250% year-on-year.
Buenos Aires Province accounted for 52.8% of all gambling-related calls in 2025, followed by Buenos Aires City with approximately 15%. Córdoba, Mendoza and Santa Fe completed the list of the five provinces with the highest number of consultations, with Santa Fe representing 4.9% of total calls.
Débora Blanca, Director of Lazos en Juego and a psychologist specializing in gambling addiction, said the current trend marks a structural shift in gambling-related harm.
Blanca said: “I’ve been working with patients with gambling addiction for more than 20 years and we’ve never seen what we’re seeing now. The emergence of compulsive gambling in adolescents aged 16 to 19 is new. The legalization of online gambling and the ease of placing a bet from your phone are determining factors.”
Online gambling was legalized in Buenos Aires City and Buenos Aires Province in late 2021, with digital platforms subsequently expanding access nationwide, including in provinces without fully harmonized regulatory frameworks. A 2024 survey by UNICEF Argentina and Bienestar Digital found that eight out of ten adolescents reported accessing online betting apps or virtual casinos during the year.
Gender patterns in helpline usage showed that direct calls from individuals acknowledging their own gambling problems came predominantly from men, while indirect consultations from family members were mostly made by women, particularly mothers and partners.
Sedronar attributed the rise in call volume to both the growing prevalence of problem gambling and increased public awareness. The agency reported that its budget for the Support and Accompaniment for People with Problematic Consumption program, which includes the phone line, increased by 20% in real terms between 2024 and 2025, representing approximately 87% of the agency’s total budget.
Sedronar is Argentina’s national agency responsible for preventing and addressing problematic substance use and addictions, including gambling-related harm
