Rosario, in Argentina’s Santa Fe province, has banned gambling advertising, promotion and sponsorship across public spaces.
Approved by the city council, the ordinance amends Rosario’s Advertising and Coexistence codes. Proposed by Socialist councilman Federico Lifschitz, it addresses gambling promotion, particularly online betting and its exposure among adolescents and young people.
The ban covers casinos, bingo halls, gaming rooms, online betting platforms, websites and applications, sports betting and other forms of remote gambling. It applies to public passenger transport, street advertising, urban furniture, screens and projections, as well as private spaces where advertisements are visible to the public.
The restrictions also extend to brands, sponsors and advertisers whose main activity is gambling when their advertising associates them with sports, cultural, social or educational institutions based in Rosario. This brings sponsorship-related advertising within the scope of the ban.
An exception applies to games organized by accredited nonprofit institutions whose proceeds are used exclusively for social, charitable or community purposes. Their advertising may provide information about the activity, date, location and purpose, but cannot encourage betting, use urgency-based messages, promise prizes or include third-party testimonials.
Santa Fe Lottery has recently released a new video for its “No garpa” campaign, with sports jerseys printed with messages about debt, loans and underage betting.
Using football and sports culture, the messages include phrases that translate as “It doesn’t pay to ask for money you can’t pay back,” “It doesn’t pay to bet as a minor” and “Betting is not a game.”
Advertising for games organized by accredited nonprofit institutions for social, charitable or community purposes is exempt, provided messages do not encourage betting or promise prizes
