Argentina blocks 251 illegal gambling sites in Buenos Aires-led crackdown

Argentina has intensified its fight against unlicensed online betting after ENACOM ordered the blocking of 251 gambling websites as part of a judicial investigation led from San Isidro in the Province of Buenos Aires.

The latest action was reported on April 27, when ENACOM moved to block 251 betting sites that were allegedly operating without authorisation in the country. The measure was tied to a case led by the Specialized Cybercrime Investigation Unit, UFEIC, in the San Isidro judicial district of Buenos Aires Province, with prosecutor Patricio Ferrari identified as a key figure in the investigation.

According to the reporting on the case, the investigation began after a presentation by the Argentine Chamber of Casinos, Bingos and Annexes, and authorities argue that the targeted platforms were presenting themselves as legitimate gambling services without offering the safeguards expected from licensed operators. The concern goes beyond licensing alone: prosecutors and regulators say many of these sites lacked reliable prize-payment guarantees and identity checks, making access by minors easier.

The crackdown also fits into a broader enforcement trend already under way in Buenos Aires Province. In December 2025, the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos announced that it had filed complaints over 300 illegal betting sites before specialised prosecutorial units in Lomas de Zamora, La Matanza and San Isidro, arguing that illegal gambling was tied not only to unauthorised gaming activity but also to suspected money laundering and tax evasion.

That wider context matters because ENACOM’s role in this area is not to decide gambling legality by itself, but to act on judicial blocking requests and pass them to internet service providers across the country. In earlier official communication, ENACOM described itself as the intermediary between the courts and ISPs whenever illegal betting websites are ordered blocked, which helps explain why the latest move is being framed as coordinated action between justice authorities, regulators and market stakeholders.

For Argentina’s market, the blocking of 251 sites is significant less as an isolated headline and more as evidence of a more organised anti-illegal-gambling strategy centered in Buenos Aires Province. If authorities keep combining judicial action, national telecom enforcement and provincial regulatory pressure, the campaign could become one of the clearest recent examples in Latin America of how fragmented online gambling supply is being pushed out of the formal market.