GAMBLING MARKETS Gambling is widely accepted in Argentine society and landbased gambling has a history of regulated venues from casinos, horse racing tacks and gaming arcades. Gambling emerged in Argentina back in 1882 when the Jockey Club Buenos Aires was founded. Te sector began to develop significantly during the 1990s as gaming halls and casinos opened. Land-based casinos began to arrive in the mid 20th century and the Casino Centralde Mar del Plata opened in 1938 marked an important milestone in the gaming industry. In 1999, the National Tourism Law was introduced and this opened the door to the expansion of gambling in the country by permitting the installation of casinos in different provinces and the sector boomed. As technology changed in the early 2000s the rise of online casinos and sports betting platforms began to grow and this saw landbased casinos challenged as players moved online. Casinos boosted their offer and technology to attract players and also opened themselves to entertainment offering spas, restaurants and shows. Te country is organised under a federal model and therefore
regulatory competence is held by local jurisdictions meaning the 23 provinces and the City of Buenos Aires govern gambling in their locality. Te general rule in Argentina is that gambling is prohibited unless authorised by a competent authority whilst operating restrictions or rules may vary in each province. Te regulatory bodies are managed by the Association of State Lotteries, Quinielas and Casinos of Argentina (ALEA) which was set up in 1970. Tere are three taxation levels – federal, provincial and
municipal (except Buenos Aires City where there are only two). Federal taxes which may apply to operators including income tax, value added tax and credits and debits taxes. For example, the province of Buenos Aires imposes a 25 per cent provincial tax on GGR whilst the city of Buenos Aires has a 10 per cent tax on GGR. Advertising is regulated and cannot target or feature minors and only authorised operators can advertise in the country. Land-based gambling is regulated and authorised by each ju- risdiction in Argentina and casinos, slot halls, lottery ticket sales venues and betting shops can be found throughout the country.