The Argentinean province of Mendoza has approved new regulations to legalise sports betting and online gambling.

The regulations were approved by the Instituto Provincial de Juegos y Casino (IPJyC) de Mendoza and come two years after legislation was first introduced to enable online gambling by residents in Mendoza, the fourth most populated province in the country.

Published in the province’s Official Gazette late last week, Resolution 554/22 was drawn up by the Comisión de Juego en Línea del IPJyC, which highlighted the spread of gambling through mobile phones, tablets and other electronic devices.

The Commission said that the objective of the regulation is to “combat illegal gambling, protect the rights of minors, consumers and users, promote responsible gambling and prevent money laundering”.

The decree states that between two and seven operator licenses may be awarded via a public tender, which is expected to take place before the end of this year. Licenses would be valid for up to ten years.

The tender will prioritise companies that are already licensed to operate gaming halls in the province, with licensed sports betting and iGaming operators subject to a 12 per cent tax on gross gaming revenue.

Licensed websites must use domains ending in BET.ar.

Following the public tender, Mendoza will become the latest Argentinean province to launch online gambling, with Buenos Aires City and province launching their regulated iGaming markets last December, Córdoba approving regulations this year, and La Rioja also looking into regulating iGaming.

Gaming Intelligence