Buenos Aires Province Senator Federico Fagioli has introduced a bill, dubbed the “Ley Lula,” that would ban online betting across the province, including slots, roulette, blackjack and poker.
The bill would repeal the online gambling framework established under Buenos Aires Province’s Law 15,079, passed in December 2018 and effective from January 2019.
Articles 146 to 173 regulate online casino games, sports betting and other forms of online gambling, including the licensing system for operators. Repealing these provisions would invalidate the legal basis for existing licenses.
Only lotteries, quinielas and draws would remain legal, along with electronic sales of games that involve neither bets nor cash prizes. The bill would prohibit sports betting before or during events, online casino games and bets on virtual events whose outcomes depend entirely or primarily on chance.
Fagioli said: “The expansion of the platforms changed the traditional characteristics of gambling; the ability to bet from any internet-connected device removed much of the material, spatial and temporal barriers that historically separated people from physical gambling venues.”
He argued that constant access without territorial limits forces a reassessment of whether the current system of authorized operators can prevent problem gambling.
If the law takes effect, covered operators could not accept new deposits or transfers for prohibited games.
Within 10 calendar days, they would have to stop new game sessions, withdraw all advertising, promotions, bonuses and sponsorships, and block access for users in the province.
Within 30 days, they would have to return every user’s full balance and file an itemized report with the Provincial Lottery and Casino Institute.
The proposal also bans provincewide advertising of online betting, including through influencers, affiliates, and promotional codes, and asks the institute to identify and block sites and apps offering the prohibited games, with the option to file criminal complaints.
Fagioli’s initiative joins a 64-article bill promoted by Facundo Tignanelli, which seeks tighter restrictions, controls and prevention mechanisms rather than a ban.
Provincial Lottery and Casino Institute (IPLyC) President Gonzalo Atanasof addressed lawmakers on illegal gambling, youth exposure and the need for better tools to detect and shut down illegal betting sites
