Argentina: Education program on betting risks enrolls over 1,600 students

More than 1,600 students from over 30 schools in Argentina's Santa Fe province have enrolled in a free online course aimed at preventing gambling-related harm among minors.

The program, called “Apostar no es un Juego” (Betting Is Not a Game), was launched by nonprofit Junior Achievement Santa Fe for teenagers aged 13 to 18.

The initiative follows data from Kids Online Argentina 2025, a survey of 5,910 children and adolescents conducted by UNICEF and UNESCO, which found that 24% of respondents aged 12 to 17 said they had bet money online at least once. 

The share reached 13% among those aged 12 to 14 and rose with age. A separate 2024 U-Report survey by UNICEF Argentina and Bienestar Digital found that eight in ten adolescents and young people had accessed or knew someone who had accessed betting sites or apps in the past year.

In Santa Fe specifically, a judicial investigation opened after a complaint from the provincial lottery found that an illegal betting site network recorded more than $16m in transactions between June and August 2024, involving at least 35,845 minors according to figures reported by the Provincial Government. 

Santa Fe's provincial legislature passed Law 14,293 in 2024, creating an educational program for the prevention of online gambling addiction under the Ministry of Education.

“Apostar no es un Juego” runs entirely online over an estimated four to six weeks, with modules of 30 to 40 minutes covering the difference between playing and betting, how betting apps work, the role of social media and influencers in gambling promotion and covert advertising, and behavioral warning signs of problem gambling.

Schools can access the program through scholarships that are fully funded with support from the private sector. Insurer Sancor Seguros acts as the program's provincial promoter, alongside other backers including Hoss Inversiones, Milicic, Laura Sasia y Asociados and La Segunda Seguros.

In Brazil, the Ministry of Sport and industry group ANJL have also launched a free course focused on sports integrity and match-fixing prevention. 

The initiative offers separate training for athletes and sports professionals and for public security forces, covering how to identify, prevent and report situations that could threaten competition integrity.