The Buenos Aires Province Chamber of Deputies has approved amendments to Law 13,253, formally incorporating trotting races into the province's regulated horse racing framework.
The legislation recognizes the breeding of American Trotter horses as an activity of provincial interest and establishes a regulatory basis for their registration, anti-doping controls and associated betting.
The reform follows a legislative process that began with a proposal from Unión por la Patria deputy Avelino Zurro. The lower house initially approved the initiative in September 2025 before the provincial Senate subsequently amended it.
One of the Senate's additions identified existing properties in Pehuajó, Hurlingham, Navarro, Chivilcoy and Lincoln as potential official trotting racetracks, provided they meet authorization requirements set by the relevant provincial authority.
The amended proposal then returned to the Chamber of Deputies for final approval.
Law 13,253 has governed official horse racing in Buenos Aires Province since 2004. Its existing framework gives the designated authority responsibility for supervising official racetracks and racing agencies, determining operating requirements and authorizing new gambling formats connected with official racing competitions.
The Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos serves as the law's enforcement authority. Its responsibilities extend across the province's wider regulated gambling sector, including online gambling, where seven licenses were authorized under legislation passed in 2019.
Licensed online gambling sites in the province use the bet.ar domain and participation is restricted to people aged 18 and over.
The trotting reform comes as provincial authorities continue measures concerning gambling regulation and player protection. In July, authorities ordered the blocking of 537 websites suspected of offering unauthorized online gambling, while the Instituto has also run initiatives during 2026 focused on gambling-related harm among young people and adolescents.
Earlier this month, Buenos Aires opposition lawmaker Romina Braga questioned Governor Axel Kicillof's approach to problem gambling ahead of a legislative commission meeting considering proposals involving minors, online betting and gambling advertising.
Buenos Aires Province authorized official racetracks to implement commingling for international signal sales and pooled wagering under a 2025 resolution
