Argentina bill tightens crypto gambling rules
New rules could increase compliance obligations for crypto exchanges linked to gambling-related payments.
Argentina’s national government has sent Congress a bill aimed at regulating online gambling, preventing gambling addiction, and blocking financial and technical support for unauthorised betting platforms.
The bill, titled the Law on the Prevention of Gambling Addiction and Regulation of Online Gambling, would coordinate action between several state bodies, including the Central Bank of Argentina, the National Securities Commission, the National Communications Agency, and NIC Argentina.
The proposal would prohibit financial institutions, payment service providers, and virtual asset service providers from offering services to unauthorised gambling operators. It would also allow NIC Argentina to suspend, disable, or remove domains reported by competent authorities in relation to illegal gambling.
The bill also restricts the promotion, sponsorship, and dissemination of illegal gambling platforms across television, radio, public spaces, social networks, and digital environments. Media companies, agencies, and content creators would be required to verify that promoted operators have official authorisation. Measures to protect minors are also included.
Authorised platforms without effective technological systems to identify age and exclude minors would be prohibited from operating financially. The Central Bank would also be required to block money transfers from accounts linked to minors to gambling operators.
The proposal would amend the Criminal Code to introduce prison terms of three to six years for those operating unauthorised betting systems. It would also create a new offence, punishable by two to four years in prison, for those who provide essential financial, technological, advertising, or digital services to unauthorised operators.
The bill follows growing scrutiny of online betting and prediction markets in Argentina and abroad, including earlier action against Polymarket for alleged unlicensed gambling.
Why does it matter?
The proposal shows how governments are targeting the infrastructure that enables illegal online gambling, including payment systems, domain names, advertising channels, and crypto-related services. By including virtual asset service providers, Argentina is treating crypto payment rails as part of the regulated gambling ecosystem when they are used to support unauthorised betting platforms. That could raise compliance expectations for crypto firms, payment providers, media companies, and online platforms.
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