The Buenos Aires provincial Senate has hosted a forum addressing online gambling and youth addiction, as the legislature continues to stall on passing comprehensive regulation, a delay that has extended for more than two years.
Senator María Rosa Martínez, representative of Fuerza Patria, took part in the panel titled “Virtual betting in adolescences and youth,” organized by the Senate’s Directorate of Integral Social Policies. The session brought together domestic and international specialists to examine the growing reach of online gambling among younger audiences.
Martínez said: “The concern for the mental health of our youth, problematic consumption and online betting needs to be addressed within a broader social and economic context.”
She also called for a preventive approach to gambling-related harm, rather than a purely punitive or regulatory response.
The discussion took place against a backdrop of legislative inaction. During its latest session in late February, the Buenos Aires Chamber of Deputies declined to advance any of the pending online gambling bills, despite expectations of a vote.
Instead, lawmakers approved the creation of a new standing body, the Commission on Games of Chance, Lottery and Prevention of Gambling Addiction, tasked with consolidating dozens of existing proposals into a unified framework.
The committee’s mandate, formalized under resolution file 3534/25-26, includes oversight of all gambling verticals, including online betting, as well as potential measures such as advertising restrictions, payment controls and protections for minors.
Multiple political blocs have submitted proposals covering areas such as biometric age verification and stricter advertising rules. However, the most advanced Senate-side initiative, introduced in October 2024, remains in committee without a confirmed timeline for debate.
A provincial survey of secondary school students found that 4% reported gambling online at least once a month, highlighting the scale of the issue facing policymakers.
María Rosa Martínez has previously positioned herself on social policy issues related to youth and public health
