Lotería de la Ciudad, the Buenos Aires City Lottery, held a lecture during the Buenos Aires International Book Fair to discuss the importance of responsible gambling.
Mayra Gallucci and Eugenia Morelli, both members of the Deputy Management of Gambling Conduct, gave a talk on “Adolescents and illegal betting: prevention strategies.”
The lecture encouraged teachers, students, specialists and members of the general public to address the increasing issue of young people accessing gambling.
While many licensed operators have strict Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, illegal sites require no age verification or identity checking to ensure that people are at an appropriate age to gamble.
Some sites, such as skin gambling and lootbox sites, also market themselves towards a younger demographic.
The talks focused on access to illegal betting platforms, the dynamics of digital consumption and the importance of building prevention strategies close to young people.
Jesús Acevedo, the Lotería de la Ciudad President, also held a mock trial for students, where they could participate as the jury.
The “More than a game: the conflict with betting” trial revolved around a case where minors were recruited through WhatsApp groups to promote online sports betting.
By using situations that mimic real-life incidents, the Lotería de la Ciudad hopes to show the students how easy these situations can happen – and how to handle it if it does.
While a Book Fair may seem like a strange place to hold talks on gambling harm, the City Lottery used the opportunity to generate a new space that platformed dialogue between officials, students, teachers and families on real-world issues.
Earlier this year, the City Lottery held training sessions specifically targeting influencers in the gambling space.
The Buenos Aires International Book Fair is one of the top five book expos in the world and is a major literary event in the calendar
