In Argentina’s Buenos Aires Province, lawmakers Facundo Tignanelli and Micaela Olivetto have introduced a comprehensive bill to regulate online gambling that has been supported by neighbors’ sports clubs and civil society organizations. The proposal uses a licensing system of operators, stricter advertising regulations and new rules to combat illegal gambling, as well as a specific funding system for community groups.
The bill would establish a fund managed by the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos (IPLyC) from the 3% of the monthly prizes that would be donated by the operators of the authorized casinos. 85% of the money received would be channeled to a new Provincial Fund for the Development of Public Benefit and Sports Organizations, and 15% would be directed to the development of sports in the province through the creation of scholarships for high-performance athletes.
Proposed Fund Would Support Community Sports
The new fund would benefit neighborhood clubs that are up to date with their financial obligations. Expenses for elite athletes would be paid for through scholarships, which would include training, equipment, transportation and accommodation, while the regulation of gambling would be tied to paying for grassroots sporting and athletic development.
It was introduced in the provincial Chamber of Deputies in early October. The governing party had hoped to speed up the discussion and have it tabled for consideration in the October 20 session, but it was not on the agenda. This initiative will then have to be taken up in a future session and the committee reports will have to be submitted for approval.
Clubs Warn About Gambling’s Impact on Families
The CEC Center for Physical Education, a civil association specializing in the practice of taekwondo and aerial acrobatics, is one of the organizations backing up the bill. Its representative, Pamela Barbero, explained the impact that wagering has on families and that it can disrupt children’s involvement in sports.
“It is something I hear about all the time from my son. Sometimes the parents themselves act as cashiers and end up in debt, creating a terrible situation for them and their children. For example, a mother depends on winning something to take her child to a tournament. She might spend as much as she wins, gambling it on luck, like a mother who came to me and said, ‘I’m paying you because I won, I got it right and got this money to pay for the tournament,’” Barbero said.
Beyond gambling, she said, “We usually try to help the children. Sports keep kids off the streets and stop them from thinking about all sorts of things. They also support education; in taekwondo, for example, they learn respect, discipline and empathy.”
Organizations Emphasize Mental Health and Financial Support
The Oh Do Kwan Association, another taekwondo association, also endorsed the proposal. Its secretary, Alejandro Gonzalez, made a distinction between sport and betting, stating that the latter should not be considered as harmless entertainment.
“Betting is not a game. The game is what we do in our institutions; sports are a game for young people and for social well-being. Betting is not,” González said.
He pointed out the proposed financial assistance, as well as the protection of children and adolescents from the dangers of gambling. “It is very important to move this law forward for two reasons: to safeguard the mental health of children and adolescents against the addiction associated with betting, and to support clubs, which have been largely abandoned and receive no assistance. Sometimes we cannot even pay the electricity bill,” he said.
Rising Costs Put Pressure on Neighborhood Clubs
Youth football and kick boxing was another club, Club Ateneo San Martín, that supported the legislation. Leandro Hospital, its president, noted that wagering had been more prevalent among young football fans, even during the games.
“Children who love football are constantly betting on everything that happens in a match. We do not like it. Sometimes they treat it as a game, but it is not a game; it is a bet. Later, it becomes more complicated, and they start thinking that getting a prediction right can save their week or month, but it does not work that way,” Hospital said.
Patricia Brito from the 25 de Mayo Neighborhood Association shared the financial pressures community institutions face. “We have a basic electricity and gas bill of more than one million pesos, not to mention maintenance,” she said. It is therefore more and more challenging to support equipment purchases, activities and instructors.
With the backing of the clubs, a community-level component is provided to the discussion of Buenos Aires Province’s framework for internet gambling. The proposed funding plan has been a primary motivation to neighborhood groups for the bill to be enacted, though legislative obstacles remain.
