A law aimed at preventing problem gambling in Tucumán, Argentina, remains unenforced nearly two years after its approval.
Opposition lawmakers are urging the provincial government and Governor Osvaldo Jaldo to move forward with its implementation.
Law 9.828 was approved in November 2024 after unifying eleven separate bills, but the executive branch has not yet defined the authorities, budget, procedures and responsibilities needed to put it into effect.
The law established a provincial prevention program meant to coordinate the ministries of health, education, security and social development. It also allows for public awareness campaigns, training for teachers and families, care for people affected by gambling addiction and the blocking of betting sites on networks belonging to schools and public agencies.
Without the decree, these measures have not been applied in a coordinated way, and no public protocol exists to identify cases in classrooms, refer teenagers for help or track the volume of gambling-related consultations.
Tucumán Legislator Silvia Elías de Pérez has called for immediate regulation, citing an unofficial estimate that one in four residents between the ages of 12 and 17 have had contact with betting platforms. She also cited that UNICEF has separately estimated that nationally about one in four adolescents has placed at least one bet, typically starting around age 13.
The law also covers the Caja Popular de Ahorros, the provincial body responsible for authorized gambling.
The delay follows separate warnings from Tucumán Legislator Claudio Viña, who has pushed for advertising restrictions and biometric age controls on betting platforms. Viña said: "The state, not only in Tucumán but nationally, is not prepared to confront this pandemic. Online gambling arrives through the phone we all use to work, study or communicate, and that is where the casino is installed."
The Tucumán legislature is now planning to convene a panel with outside experts to review pending gambling-related bills.
Tucumán, Argentina's sixth most populous province with 1.73 million residents, regulates all legal gambling through the provincial Caja Popular de Ahorros
