La Rioja is looking to become the second province in Argentina to regulate online gambling.

The state gambling regulator Administración Provincial de Juegos de Azar (Ajalar) has signed an agreement with its counterpart the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos (IPLyC) of Misiones to develop a safe and responsible online gambling market for La Rioja.

The IPLyC of Misiones launched its own online betting and gaming site in December 2015 through Misionbet.com.ar, in defiance of the national lottery association La Asociación de Loterías, Quinielas y Casinos Estatales de Argentina (ALEA).

The site was taken offline in May 2017 on the orders of the Buenos Aires prosecutor following complaints from ALEA that the site accepted bets from Buenos Aires residents.

It resumed operations in January 2018 after a court overturned the ban and restricted its offering to players located in Misiones.

La Rioja’s gambling regulator said that it will leverage the experience of Misiones to develop iGaming regulations that allow adults in the province to play games from their mobile and desktop devices.

“It is important to note that we aim to innovate the development of gambling by integrating new information and communication technologies, which does not mean that there will be no limitations to prevent gambling,” said Ajalar administrator Ramón Vera.

Gaming Intelligence