Argentina’s largest province mulls seven online gambling licenses

Argentina’s largest province could issue seven online gambling licenses under a new budget proposal.

On Monday, Argentine media outlets reported that a senate committee in the province of Buenos Aires had begun studying Gov. María Eugenia Vidal’s Budget Bill 2019. Among the budget’s proposals are a new 2% tax on casino and bingo winnings that would be funneled into a “social fund.”

The government also proposed authorizing seven licenses for online gambling, which would span casino games as well as wagering on sports, races and pop culture events. The plan is to tax these operators’ online revenue at 15%, which the government expects will raise an annual ARS2.2b (US$61.8m).

The government is adamant that would-be online licensees would have to set up shop in the province, while Buenos Aires would partner with other provinces to ensure that any operator serving local punters without local authority would have their domain blocked.