Argentina Sees More Than 100 iGaming Platforms Registered

Posted on: April 28, 2022, 06:31h. 

Last updated on: April 29, 2022, 01:47h.

Erik Gibbs Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Gaming Business, Global Gaming.

Argentina’s online gaming market is already showing great promise, and it’s not even completely live yet. The registration of more than 100 dedicated gaming domain names shows what’s coming.

Argentina flag
Argentina’s efforts to introduce nationwide iGaming continue. As part of the plan, the obligatory use of bet.ar domain names is gaining ground. (Image: Pexels)

In order for a gaming operator to legally launch in Argentina, as in any country, it has to abide by several rules. The market isn’t fully developed, but there appears to be plenty of interest.

The Association of Argentine State Lotteries (ALEA) reported that one rule is finding a lot of support this week. It stated that there are already almost 100 valid “.bet.ar” registrations for the country’s legal betting websites.

This underscores the beginning of a new stage in the fight against illegal gambling. It is also a significant increase from the 30 registrations just six months ago.

Bet.ar Means Regulated

The domains in the special zone “.bet.ar” provide a tool to differentiate the legal sites from the illegal ones. To obtain the ownership of domains, ?it is necessary to be an online gambling operator validated and authorized by the regulatory bodies. This helps keep the market clean and provides better protection to gamblers.

The National Directorate of the Registry of Internet Domains of the National State administers identifying “bet.ar” domains. It generated this domain specifically for legal online gambling websites.

With the supply of Internet betting sites on the rise, and as more and more provinces legalize iGaming in their territories, registration in the “bet.ar” zone gives state lotteries a precise tool to combat illegal gambling. ALEA data shows that unlicensed operations increased widely in the pandemic, but new control procedures and identification of platforms that operate outside the domain area can help eliminate them.

Members of the digital ecosystem and any other stakeholder directly or indirectly associated with the industry benefit. The new system allows them to identify the operations authorized by being delimited within the domain area “bet.ar.”

New Blocking Tool Has Mixed Reactions

Last year, Facebook and Instagram began blocking questionable gaming sites from Argentina. It’s been a bumpy road, with both positive and negative reactions.

The blocking tool is possible from the coordinated and joint work of ALEA, its members, and Meta (Facebook and Instagram). In implementing the initiative, each member body of ALEA participated in training to learn how to make the reports.

The illegal gambling blocking channel, deployed by ALEA on November 2 of last year, works to ensure industry transparency and protect users from the dangers of pages offering illegal gambling. At the same time, it has continued to receive some complaints from members of the association. Many don’t fully understand how to implement it.

ALEA and Meta launched training sessions to overcome the obstacles. Now, each of the blocks can be put in place in less than 12 hours. This confirms, according to the association, the effectiveness of this channel for blocking illegal gambling. Whether its members feel the same depends on if they can get the hang of the system.