Two lawmakers from Entre Ríos Province in Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies have introduced legislation that would ban individuals who fail to meet court-ordered child support obligations from entering casinos, bingo halls, betting agencies and licensed online gambling platforms nationwide.
The bill, presented by National Deputies Guillermo Michel and Marianela Marclay, proposes the creation of a Federal Registry of Child Support Non-Compliers, known by its Spanish acronym REFIOA. The registry would operate under the national executive branch and be interoperable with both national and provincial authorities.
Under the proposal, a judge would need to issue a formal ruling declaring a relevant default before a person is added to the registry. Once listed, that individual would be banned from all gambling venues and platforms authorized by regulators.
Guillermo Michel, National Deputy, said: “Although several provinces have created local registries of child support debtors, the territorial breadth generates significant inequalities that allow a person registered in one jurisdiction to evade the effects by moving to another.
“The creation of a Federal Registry makes it possible to overcome that limitation, giving national effectiveness to judicial decisions and strengthening inter-jurisdictional coordination.”
Marianela Marclay, National Deputy, said: “The law has two objectives: to give real effectiveness to rights already established, the child support payment, and the urgency of providing a concrete response to a social reality that affects a large number of households throughout the country.”
The initiative draws on data from a 2024 UNICEF Argentina report showing that more than 56% of mothers who do not live with the father of their children receive no child support payments. The figure rises to 68% when including those who receive payments irregularly.
For the gaming industry, the proposal introduces a compliance requirement that operators, both land-based and online, verify whether users are on the federal registry before granting access to gambling services.
The bill does not specify how that verification would be implemented technically, a detail that would likely be addressed through regulation if the legislation advances.
Several Argentinian provinces, including Buenos Aires, Córdoba and Mendoza, already operate registries of child support debtors that restrict access to certain services, such as obtaining driver’s licenses or participating in public tenders
