Buenos Aires Lawmaker Demands Oversight of Youth Gambling Prevention Plan

The Buenos Aires provincial deputy Valentín Miranda has asked for more information from the government headed by Axel Kicillof regarding the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to Tackle Problem Gambling Among Adolescents.

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According to the plan, which was put in place in July 2024, the goal is to prevent, aid, and eliminate online gambling among minors. In his request, Miranda wanted to find out if the initiative is still alive, who is currently implementing the initiative, and how often those working on this plan meet.

Original Initiative Was Announced by Several Authorities

This particular program was created by some provincial authorities such as Health Minister Nicolás Kreplak, Security Minister Javier Alonso, Justice Minister Juan Martín Mena, former Education Director Alberto Sileoni, and President of Provincial Lottery and Casino Institute Gonzalo Atanasof.

As per government representatives back then, the initiative unites seven ministries and provincial institutions via a task force focusing on the coordination of healthcare, education, and enforcement in response to increased betting among adolescents on the Internet.

Little Data About Effectiveness

Even though all political forces agree that there is a problem that should be solved, according to Miranda, there is no much data about the effectiveness of this program that has been implemented almost two years ago.

The representative wanted to receive data about investigations, surveys, and public policies implemented in response to this problem, the role of General Directorate of Culture and Education and its methods of fighting this phenomenon.

This also included data about awareness campaigns carried out in schools and the training of teachers to detect gambling-related problems among students. Furthermore, Miranda was interested in data about any treatment and aid initiatives offered to youth affected by gambling addiction, the number of persons helped by this, and the role of family members in treatment and prevention processes.

Lack of Official Statistics

Another crucial question was the lack of official statistics about underage gambling on betting websites. According to Miranda, it hampers the efficient work of officials in this sector.

He said: “Our intention is strictly collaborative. We know that consensus was reached about the need to oppose adolescent gambling addiction, so we would like to help solve this problem. For this purpose, we are counting on the promptness of the executive branch’s reply to our queries.”

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Delay of Implementation of Initiatives

This year, during the first session of the Buenos Aires Congress of Deputies, it was decided to create the Commission on Gambling, Lottery, and Prevention of Gambling Addiction. Its role was supposed to be the analysis of many legislative propositions related to gambling.

However, according to opposition deputies, this commission has not been established yet. This, in turn, hinders the discussion of several initiatives that address the problem of underage gambling.

One of the projects was passed in November 2024 in the Addiction Prevention Commission, led by Miranda. It consolidated many propositions made by opposition deputies to fight underage gambling.

Consequences of Problem Gambling

As pointed out by Miranda, the broader problem lies in the negative impact that underage gambling has on the youth: “We need to eliminate consequences of this addiction, which influence the financial situation, families, society, career and studying of the teenagers. Moreover, they lead to physical and mental problems.”

When the Comprehensive Plan for Prevention and Treatment of Adolescent Gambling Addiction was presented, the Government Minister Carlos Bianco explained that this program has been established after instructions of Governor Kicillof to assist teenagers and regulate gambling networks.

Moreover, health authorities provided results of a survey of 434 secondary school students conducted in June 2024 that showed 34% of participants had gambled at least once online.

Proposed measures included educational campaigns conducted in schools, teacher training, blocking of IPs used for gambling websites in the educational institutions, biometric systems to verify age, and more severe regulation of ads.

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Source: SBC Noticias