Argentina’s National Communications Agency (ENACOM) has announced that 251 gambling websites have been shut down in the Buenos Aires province as part of a coordinated...
Buenos Aires Province to ban gambling sponsorships in sports
Malena Galmarini, a Senator from Buenos Aires Province’s Fuerza Patria party, has proposed a bill that aims to ban gambling sponsorships and advertisements in sports venues and community locations.
According to the bill, using gambling-themed logos, branding, and sponsorships would be prohibited on club shirts, in sports venues, and in areas surrounding such spaces within a 100-meter radius. The goal of the measure is to establish better protections against gambling exposure for vulnerable groups like minors and prevent the rise of gambling addiction.
Galmarini commented:
“The objective is not to ban the gambling industry itself, nor its advertising in general terms, but rather to protect a specific and particularly sensitive space: the community sports environment – a setting frequented by children, adolescents and families.”
The bill covers multiple sports facilities like professional and amateur football stadiums and municipal sports centers, as Galmarini believes that sports venues and sports clubs must keep their social function and remain institutions of community belief.
Galmarini added:
“The impact of gambling advertising in the sports context is not limited to a single neighborhood but is prevalent at all levels of sport.”
In case the bill is approved, enforcement action will be under the responsibility of the provincial Undersecretariat of Sports, which will work with the Undersecretariat for Consumer Protection and the Provincial Agency for Children and Adolescents to fully monitor compliance.
If violations are found, a maximum fine of $79,000 could be imposed on those who fail to comply with the rules, while licenses can be additionally suspended or revoked.
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