Zona de Azar Argentina – Rise in Underage Online Gambling: A Challenge for Society and the State
Argentina.- April 16th 2024 www.zonadeazar.com The number of underage individuals gambling online has been exponentially increasing since the pandemic and surged during the Qatar World Cup. The temptation to make money with just a few clicks can have negative effects on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents.
The online gambling market has been steadily growing, both in Argentina and the region. Users can gamble from the comfort of their homes on the diverse offerings that companies upload to their platforms. Games of chance and sports betting are at the forefront of bettors’ preferences. However, this business, which is fully regulated by the State, faces a situation that requires immediate intervention: 80% of gambling sites in Argentina are illegal.
This means that these platforms not only do not follow mandatory protocols to prevent gambling addiction but also do not pay taxes for the activity they carry out. Additionally, something extremely concerning is that illegal sites allow minors to enter, something that is strictly prohibited on registered sites.
Fighting these illegal businesses is not easy, as there is no national law in place. Each province has its own regulation in this regard. Furthermore, since these are virtual sites, some betting houses are based in other countries and operate without a license in Argentina. One way bettors can ensure they are entering a legal site is by checking that the domain ends in bet.ar. This way, users will avoid falling into virtual scams, play in a protected environment, and be sure they will receive their winnings.
The proliferation of these unregistered platforms is driven by a strong advertising campaign that includes various influencers and TikTokers. There is no law regulating those who irresponsibly promote any product without considering the consequences their influence may have.
These influencers target young people directly, as they are the ones who consume their content the most. The number of underage individuals gambling on these sites has been exponentially increasing since the pandemic and surged during the World Cup. The temptation to make money with just a few clicks can have negative effects on the physical and mental health of children and adolescents who are not yet prepared for this type of activity.
Legal platforms are practically impassable for minors; the registration process in the system is very rigorous in this regard. As a first step, when the user registers, the system immediately cross-references the data with the RENAPER to verify that the information is real and indeed corresponds to an adult.
After this, the account is under verification, and the person is asked to send a photo of the ID card front and back, a second obstacle for minors. And if, in the event, a young person has stolen the age document from their parents or an adult, finally, to withdraw the prize and continue gambling, the image of the national identification and then a “selfie” photo is requested, to perform facial recognition. Obviously, on legal platforms, there cannot be minors without consent from an adult.
The first to warn about this situation were the teachers, who saw with alarm how students gambled while in class. Some underage individuals have even become “cashiers” for their own schoolmates. Cashiers are the digital version of the old lottery collectors. The task is to take money from bettors and allocate it to gambling sites in exchange for a commission.
Teachers began to notice sudden mood changes in their students. Hits on the desk and bursts of fury without apparent cause in usually calm students were the result of losing a significant amount of money on an illegal site.
Childhood gambling addiction is a danger that as a society we must combat with all the tools at our disposal. Not only should each family discuss the issue and be informed about the risk of a minor becoming a gambler, but the State must also strengthen controls so that these types of offenses cease as soon as possible.
Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com
