In Uruguay, Senator Felipe Carballo, of the Broad Front, presented to Parliament a bill aimed at regulating the online gambling market in the country. The initiative seeks to establish a mixed model in which the State and private operators coexist under a comprehensive supervision scheme, updating legislation that, according to the legislator himself, dates back to the 19th century.
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The proposal arrives in a context of sustained growth of digital betting throughout the region and an absence of effective controls over a sector that moves millions of dollars every year in Uruguay. Carballo’s project aims to be the starting point for a parliamentary debate that, according to his expectations, should materialize during 2026.
What the bill on online gambling in Uruguay proposes
The text presented by Carballo contemplates two fundamental pillars. The first is the creation of a State Online Gambling Platform, under the National Directorate of Lotteries and Pools, which would be in charge of offering, regulating, and monitoring the digital betting platforms operating in the national territory.
The second pillar is the formation of a National Online Gambling Regulation Agency, a body with technical and operational autonomy to issue licenses to private operators, audit platforms and algorithms, control the flow of economic transactions, and manage a national registry of digital bettors. Additionally, the agency would have the power to sanction non-compliance with the regulations.
Among the most relevant aspects for users, the project establishes that those who wish to bet on authorized platforms must register with personalized spending limits and financial traceability. A measure that aims both to prevent problem gambling and to protect the most vulnerable groups. Likewise, operating without a license would be classified as a crime.
Why previous attempts to regulate online gambling failed
Carballo acknowledged to the Uruguayan media outlet El Telégrafo that this is not the first time Parliament has tried to move forward on this matter. The Broad Front already presented a similar initiative in the previous legislative period, as did the Executive Power at that time, without any of them prospering.
The senator attributed those failures to the pressure of powerful economic interests, especially those of private banking, which currently holds the monopoly on gambling in the country through concessions granted by the State.
For Carballo, this scenario makes regulation an unpostponable debt: private operators take advantage of the Uruguayan infrastructure and legal framework without giving back to the State in the same proportion as the National Directorate of Lotteries and Pools does.
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The social impact of unregulated online gambling in Uruguay
Beyond the economic debate, the initiative points to a public health problem that the legislator described with concern. Unrestricted access to online gambling has led to an increase in problem gambling among adults and, alarmingly, the participation of minors in digital betting platforms.
Carballo explained that the Directorate of Lotteries and Pools blocks more than 150 illegal pages of international origin per day, which gives a dimension of the scale of the problem. However, this effort is insufficient if it is not complemented by a modern legal framework that allows for preventive and not just reactive action.
The legislator stated that the regulation must include a registry of bettors with the aim of preventing access by minors, as well as mechanisms for the early detection of problem gambling.
The Uruguayan State must recover its central role in online gambling
One of the central arguments of the project is that the State, as the historical owner of all gambling in Uruguay, has both the right and the obligation to intervene directly in the digital betting ecosystem. Carballo maintained that the income generated by this sector should be directed, at least in part, to social policies, instead of remaining in the hands of private concessionaires who do not pay taxes proportionally.
In his view, having its own state platform does not mean excluding private parties, but rather subjecting them to a system of clear licenses, with obligations for algorithmic transparency, transaction control, and accountability to the regulator. The model he proposes does not seek to monopolize the market, but to organize it and make it yield in terms of public resources.
A project that seeks to open the parliamentary debate in 2026
Carballo was explicit in pointing out that his initiative does not intend to be the definitive version of the regulation, but rather a “trigger” for Parliament to resume a discussion that has been postponed for years. The immediate objective is for the issue to formally enter the legislative agenda during 2026 and for the different political parties to be able to enrich it with their own proposals.
For the senator, Uruguay cannot continue to postpone this reform. The combination of an expanding digital market, millions of dollars at stake, a vulnerable population without protection, and obsolete legislation creates a scenario that demands a response. The question is whether this time the project will manage to advance where others found resistance.
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