The head of the Buenos Aires government, Jorge Macriannounced a series of measures to combat childhood gambling in the City of Buenos Aires, a phenomenon that is growing in these times that hits children squarely and affects the most vulnerable sectors.
The mayor led a press conference at the Uspallata government building, located in Parque Patricios, after having had a meeting on Tuesday with specialists in childhood gambling and with legislators from different blocks who presented dozens of projects to attack this problem.
A report shared by the Buenos Aires government states that one in two parents are concerned about their children being able to gamble online. In turn, research by the City Lottery (LOTBA) indicates that 98.6% of children have some connection with technology, while 52% of parents believe that their children make an exclusive use of screens and devices. .
“Online betting is growing day by day and this is a real, concrete problem. We want to be very clear: not with boys. “It’s not okay for kids to bet.”Jorge Macri assured after the meeting with legislators and specialists. There are currently 17 projects presented by Buenos Aires deputies from different blocks.
“On this we all agree: there is no doubt that Boys don’t have to play or bet. And this is already generating serious consequences”added the Buenos Aires mayor. Uspallata confirmed to Data Clave that they will seek to advance a common project of the 17 presented to generate a single law that contemplates all the necessary measures.
Regarding the City of Buenos Aires, Macri announced that there will no longer be the possibility of announcing new licenses. 715 social media profiles and betting advertisements have already been blocked. A problem that they detect in CABA is the “authentication factor”since minors manage to register with false information due to the few requirements that are requested. Government sources assure that the implementation of controls to validate the identity of users is being evaluated.
There are currently 11 operators with active licenses in the City of Buenos Aires. Since Monday, the registration of new licenses was closed and all agreements with potential operators were even suspended. In addition, there is a joint audit with LOTBA to verify that the recreational offer includes parameters related to responsible gaming.
“Why shouldn’t minors gamble? Because they are not mature, because they are still growing and are very easily influenced. They need special protection. That is why we have to intervene.”concluded Jorge Macri.
In addition to these measures, the Buenos Aires Government made agreements with META, NIC.AR, ENACOM, Mercado Libre and Rapipago to eliminate and block content that promotes illegal gambling. Currently, 715 social media profiles and advertisements and 12 websites in the .AR domain have already been blocked. In turn, 9 Mercado Libre publications were requested to be removed and 9 document letters were sent to influencers who promote unlicensed sites.
Finally, it was reported that the Ministry of Health will open a specialized group device at the Álvarez Hospital to care for minors with a possible diagnosis of gambling addiction and another to care for families. It was also anticipated that in the coming days a “Prevention Network in Clubs”taking into account that football is one of the main items that motivates betting on minors. This prevention network will focus on adolescent socialization groups.
