Argentina's Senate has approved a motion to give priority to a bill on gambling addiction and online betting, following a request by Catamarca Senator Lucía Corpacci.
Senators backed the preference motion by show of hands during the October 29 ordinary session, according to parliamentary news outlet Parlamentario. The chamber did not vote on the bill itself.
Corpacci sought immediate consideration by the Senate committees dealing with the measure. She also called for the bill to be placed on the agenda of an extraordinary session after committee scrutiny.
Neither a committee meeting nor a plenary vote has been scheduled in the report, leaving the legislation's next step open.
The Chamber of Deputies passed the Prevention of Gambling Addiction and Regulation of Online Betting bill on November 27, 2024. The text then went to the Senate, where it has not reached the floor.
Parlamentario reported that it was referred to the Health, General Legislation and Justice and Criminal Affairs committees. A preference motion was also requested in September 2025, but that effort did not lead to a Senate debate.
The lower house approved the measure as a response to concern about young people's exposure to online gambling. Its provisions include restrictions on betting advertising, sports sponsorship, promotional bonuses and influencer marketing, as well as safeguards against access by minors. Those proposals remain subject to the Senate's legislative process, and their final form could change if senators amend the text.
During her request, Corpacci cited an appeal from Argentina's Episcopal Commission about gambling harm among adolescents. She also questioned betting promotion by sports organizations.
The bill originated in the lower house under Civic Coalition deputy Mónica Frade, and the chamber's 2024 approval was its first legislative stage.
The timing has become central to the renewed push. Parlamentario said the bill could lose parliamentary standing when the ordinary session closes on November 30.
Approval of the preference motion records Senate support for prioritizing consideration, while the bill still needs the required committee and chamber action to become law.
Two days before the Senate motion, Fuerza Suma urged lawmakers to advance the stalled online gambling bill as pressure grew ahead of the November deadline.
Deputies approved the bill in 2024 by 139 votes to 36, with 59 abstentions
