From now on, on the green cloths or in the slots, luck can also be found with virtual money in the province of Buenos Aires. The government of Axel Kicillof rehabilitated the use of debit cards and the installation of posnet in the betting rooms of casinos, bingo halls, racetracks and horse racing agencies throughout the province.
According to a resolution of the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos (IPLyC), a 2016 provision that prohibited the use of electronic means of payment in those gaming places as a way to prevent ludopathy was annulled.
Omar Galdurralde, president of the IPLyC, stated that the aim is "to prevent tax evasion and money laundering in gambling halls." However, resolution 447 of 2022 of that body has an exception: cards issued or that incorporate funds from social or assistance plans cannot be accepted.
The regulation in its article #1 establishes the "obligation to use electronic means that allow transactions with bank debit cards (Posnet), in authorized gaming halls throughout the Province of Buenos Aires". The Institute considers "it is convenient and necessary to reestablish the use of electronic means that allow transactions to be carried out with bank debit cards.”
It should be noted that, until last week, bettors could only pay in cash. This modality applied to buy a "card" and intervene in lottery halls and to acquire slot machine chips.
In Buenos Aires there are 46 bingo halls; 12 casinos; 5 racetracks and 186 horse betting agencies. A measure arranged 25 years ago prohibited the installation of ATMs inside the rooms. It extended up to two blocks around. And in November 2016, the government of the then governor of the province, María Eugenia Vidal, prohibited electronic payment systems inside the venues.
Now, the decision of the Kicillof government opens a new controversy about the scope and social impact of recreational activities.
Source: GMB
