Buenos Aires Bill Proposes Time Limits and Biometric Verification for Online Gambling

A new bill in Argentina’s Province of Buenos Aires would impose stricter controls on licensed online gambling platforms, including session limits, daily login caps and real-time facial recognition.

A new bill in the Province of Buenos Aires could significantly tighten operating rules for licensed online gambling platforms, introducing time limits, biometric verification and stronger responsible gambling obligations.

The proposal was introduced by provincial deputy Mayra Mendoza and would apply to online gambling platforms authorised by the Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos, the regulator responsible for gambling control and authorisation across Buenos Aires Province.

The central measure is a 60-minute limit on each gambling session. Once that limit is reached, the platform would be required to automatically close the user’s session and block a new login for at least one hour. The bill would also limit each user to a maximum of three logins within a 24-hour period.

These limits are designed to reduce continuous gambling and interrupt patterns of excessive play. Instead of relying only on voluntary player discipline, the bill would force platforms to build interruption mechanisms directly into the user experience.

The proposal also requires platforms to display information permanently showing the time spent gambling and the amount of money wagered. This measure is intended to make player behaviour more visible to the user and reduce the dissociation that can occur in fast, mobile-based gambling environments.

Another key element is biometric verification. The bill would require real-time facial recognition to validate a player’s identity when logging into an account, making deposits or withdrawals, and placing bets above a minimum amount to be defined by regulation.

This requirement responds to one of the main concerns in Argentina’s online gambling debate: minors using accounts registered under parents, relatives or third parties. Biometric checks would make it harder for underage users or unauthorised individuals to access licensed platforms.

The bill also proposes alerts when gambling behaviour suggests possible loss of control. In those cases, the system would be required to interrupt navigation and show warnings linked to responsible gambling.

For operators, the compliance implications would be significant. Platforms would need to adapt account systems, session-management tools, biometric verification processes, player dashboards and risk-detection alerts. This would turn responsible gambling from a general policy statement into a technical operating requirement.

Non-compliance could lead to sanctions, including fines, temporary suspension of the licence or permanent revocation of authorisation to operate in the province. That gives the bill a clear enforcement dimension rather than treating the measures as voluntary recommendations.

The initiative comes as Buenos Aires Province continues to face growing concern over online betting and cyber-gambling harm, particularly among adolescents and young adults. Online gambling differs from land-based gambling because it is available at any time, is integrated into mobile environments and can be accessed privately.

That makes traditional safeguards less effective. Venue-based age checks, staff supervision and physical access controls do not work in the same way when gambling takes place through phones, apps and websites. The bill therefore focuses on digital friction: time restrictions, identity checks, warning interruptions and visible spending data.

The proposal also reflects a broader regional trend. Across Latin America, regulators and lawmakers are moving from basic legalisation of online gambling toward more active consumer-protection controls. Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Chile and Argentina’s provinces are all debating how to balance tax revenue, market growth and public-health risks.

For Buenos Aires operators, the bill would raise the cost of compliance but could also strengthen the legal market’s credibility. Platforms that can prove strong age verification, biometric controls and responsible gambling systems may gain a clearer distinction from illegal or offshore operators.

However, the measure could also generate debate over privacy and data protection. Facial recognition involves sensitive biometric data, and lawmakers will need to ensure that any system includes strong safeguards over storage, processing, consent, cybersecurity and access by third parties.

The success of the proposal would therefore depend on implementation. Time limits can reduce prolonged sessions, but players may try to move between platforms. Biometric verification can strengthen identity controls, but only if data is securely managed and the checks are technically reliable.

The bill is still a legislative proposal, not a final law. Its impact will depend on committee debate, possible amendments, approval by the provincial legislature and the detailed regulations that would define technical thresholds and enforcement procedures.

Even so, the direction is clear. Buenos Aires Province is moving toward a more interventionist model of online gambling regulation, where licensed platforms must actively prevent excessive play, verify users in real time and make gambling behaviour more visible to the player.

If approved, the bill could become one of Argentina’s most detailed responsible gambling frameworks for online betting. It would also send a message to operators across the region: the next stage of online gambling regulation will not only be about licences and taxes, but about how platforms are designed to slow down risky behaviour.