Lotería de Santa Cruz, the provincial gambling authority in Argentina's Santa Cruz province, marked its 43rd anniversary on July 2, the date its first official Quiniela draw was held in 1983.
Officially named Lotería para Obras de Acción Social (LOAS), the provincial lottery was created in 1982 under Provincial Law No. 1469 with the stated goal of combating illegal gambling and supporting the province's productive and welfare sectors.
Its revenue is directed toward funding public policy programs run by the provincial government.
President Claudia Pavez said: "Today the lottery marks 43 years since that first Quiniela draw. Over the years we kept adding new games, but we always maintained the same objective: to support the public policies of the Government of Santa Cruz and stay close to the community."
Pavez credited the lottery's network of licensed agencies and authorized resellers, known locally as agencieros, as the organization's primary point of contact with players across the province.
As part of the anniversary, Lotería de Santa Cruz announced a special telebingo for Sunday, July 19, offering more than 65 million pesos in prizes, including a new car and cash awards. The provincial lottery said the event is intended to mark the anniversary with players while continuing to fund public programs in the province.
Argentina operates under a decentralized gambling model in which each province regulates and administers gaming within its own jurisdiction. While the country's first public lottery was established in 1893 through the former National Lottery, provincial lotteries have gradually become the backbone of Argentina's gambling system, overseeing games, licensing retail networks and directing gaming revenue toward public programs within their respective provinces.
Since its creation, LOAS has expanded its portfolio beyond Quiniela, operating games through a network of licensed agencies across Santa Cruz while directing proceeds toward provincial social programs.
Argentina has no national gambling regulator. Instead, each province and the City of Buenos Aires oversee gaming through their own lottery or gaming authority.
