In Buenos Aires, the provision of the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos of Buenos Aires (IPLyC) establishes that all venues where in-person betting takes place—casinos, racetracks, and gaming halls—must operate through an electronic payment system based on an interoperable QR code, linked to bank accounts or debit cards.
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The publication in the Official Gazette gives formal status to the regulations and marks the beginning of a new operational framework for the sector, which has historically depended on cash as the dominant means of payment. The regulation was approved by the technical and legal areas of the agency, ensuring its validity throughout the territory of the Province of Buenos Aires.
The three objectives behind the digitalization of payments in Buenos Aires
Traceability and control over money flow
One of the central purposes of the measure is to improve the traceability of transactions within the gambling circuit. By linking each bet to a bank account or debit card, the agency obtains a detailed record of money movements, which hinders the circulation of undeclared funds and strengthens the auditing capacity over the establishments.
Reduction of tax evasion and promotion of banking inclusion
The implementation of the mandatory QR also aims to combat tax evasion in a sector where the use of cash has historically facilitated financial opacity. By digitalizing payments, the provincial State gains access to information that was previously difficult to monitor. Complementarily, the initiative contributes to the broader goal of banking inclusion for the population, by stimulating the use of formal financial instruments among bettors.
Monitoring of problem gambling
The digitalization of payments also has a public health dimension. The electronic record of each transaction allows authorities to identify patterns of excessive spending and risky behaviors among bettors, facilitating the early detection of problem gambling. This tracking capability represents a concrete advance over what was possible with cash transactions, which leave no verifiable trace.
IPLyC signs an agreement with the Nexum Foundation against problem gambling
Simultaneously with the implementation of the electronic payment system, the IPLyC formalized a collaboration agreement with the Nexum Foundation aimed at strengthening prevention and early detection policies for problem gambling. The agreement was signed by Gonzalo Atanasof, head of the provincial agency, and Pablo Carrera, representing the foundation.
The agreement places special emphasis on the growth of illegal online gambling and its impact on the younger sectors of the population, an issue that authorities consider to be of increasing complexity and difficult to detect.
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An interdisciplinary and articulated approach
The agreement includes the holding of workshops, training activities, and awareness spaces with the participation of multiple social actors. From the IPLyC and the Nexum Foundation, they emphasized that addressing problem gambling requires an articulated response between the State, families, the educational system, the health sector, and the justice system.
This perspective recognizes that the problem cannot be addressed from a single institution or from a single angle, but rather demands coordination between sectors with complementary roles and capacities.
The regional context: Argentina advances in gambling regulation
The IPLyC measures are part of a broader trend of regulatory modernization of gambling in Argentina and the region. The digitalization of payments and the signing of prevention agreements reflect a public policy that seeks to balance the economic activity of the sector with the control of its negative externalities.
In a market where unlicensed online gambling operates with increasing penetration among young audiences, the State’s ability to monitor in-person gambling and, at the same time, generate detection mechanisms for problem gambling becomes a key factor for the sustainability of the regulatory model.
With these two initiatives—the mandatory QR and the agreement with Nexum—the Province of Buenos Aires is moving towards a regulatory scheme that combines financial control with social responsibility, in line with increasingly demanding international standards for the sector.
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