Buenos Aires, Argentina – It is December in the capital of Buenos Aires, and summer temperatures rose to 35 ° C (95 Fahrenheit).

The sun is relentlessly out of the corrugated filleto surfaces in Fioreto, a working -class neighborhood south of the capital of Argentina.

Teenagers in Flip-Flops install their motorcycles in the dirt streets. Other children are looking for shaded stains to rest and rinse their feet with garden hose.

Carla Ji, who asked not to be identified, is one of the teenagers in the neighborhood. At the age of 18, it approaches the end of the high school. One of her favorite entertainment was to play football with her friends at Al -Hayy Sports Club, and not far from the place where Diego Maradona, a legendary player, grew up.

But her hobbies took the back seat last June when he took over online gambling.

“All of my friends from school participate in the gambling online in one way or another,” Carla said. “They admit it is a problem.”

Carla is part of the increasing trend in the Argentina Association: adult adults and young people play their money online.

Last October, the Secretary of Grievances was published in the city of Buenos Aires a report This was found that nearly a quarter of local students between the ages of 12 and 19 have jumped online.

The vast majority, 67 percent, were martyred with the need for rapid criticism as a motivation. like Poverty rises In Argentina, experts fear that we will be more tempting online betting – illegal platforms, as well as legitimate platforms, will multiply.

But the issue of regulating gambling online has proven to be controversial, especially under the presidency of strong free freedom Javier Miley.

Carla story

For Carla, the adrenaline’s rush that she felt – and the need to help her family was Escape from poverty Pay it towards gambling online.

The 18 -year -old lives with her older sister, Mayira, 26, and her six -year -old nephew. The family depends on Maera’s income to get.

But in April, Maera lost her disturbing her in the used furniture store. To generate income, Mayra turned into washing her neighbors ’blockers in cash.

However, the family struggled to cover its bills. Myra said that she sometimes goes to bed without dinner, because of the desire for money.

So Carla decided to take matters in her hands. She said that she replaced regular football practices for hours in her location alone in her room, and works as the box secretary in a virtual casino.

A friend of an intimate job suggested to her. Carla said: “The virtual Bingo is so widespread in the neighborhood that most families are participating, which makes them feel natural.”

But she argues that her job absorbed her on the Bonzi scheme via the Internet, which relied on a group of continuous growing recruits to pay the system.

“The cashants collect money from betting and earn a commission for every new player who recruits it,” Carla said.

“But there is hunting: Let’s say that the treasurer collects $ 100 of bets, and the bets win 150 dollars. Benju officials give the treasurer 50 dollars to distribute them as gains, but they are still owed by $ 50 to officials. To avoid paying from her pocket, a secretary must The fund is used new betting to cover its debts.

Carla recalls that she felt pressure to attract new gambling on social media, and to share the promotional links and functions to announce her Bingo episode.

“It is difficult to find increasingly participants,” she said. In the end, she left the job in November, after reaching a point that was no longer able to attract new gamblers and earn commissions.

But her older sister, Mayira, has also become a treasurer, and she continues to work on an illegal playing platform.

She explained that she spent up to five hours a day on gambling applications, and lost the money she was spending on food.

During her talk, her phone was constantly spoiled with messages from casino operators, and hitting like constant mosquitoes. She owes them $ 18.

“If you can go back, I will not participate in this. It is like a drug trade. Mayra said,” He forced you to bring friends and family to this system, although you know it is dangerous. “

An alternative to poverty

In Tandil, a small agricultural town in Buenos Aires County, the history teacher Eugene Ortrina witnessed that the height of the gambling begins during the Kofid -19 pandemic.

Her students were forced to isolate the spread of the virus, to the growing digital spaces.

“For children, there is not much a distinction between playing video games and the entry of the platform for betting,” said Erguurena. “Both active parts are part of the same endless pass.”

I noticed that the boys in her academic are more vulnerable to gambling. The Ombud -Secretary poll found that 34 percent of adolescent boys placed bets online, compared to 13 percent of girls.

“Online casinos are not a place where children, in particular, can embody the ambitious ego,” said Eroguerena. Some of her students told her that they lost more than $ 500 on one bet, sometimes they come to her, and ask for money.

Experts and critics have attributed some growth on the Internet to economic instability in Argentina, which has long suffered from escalating inflation and exhausting foreign debt.

In December 2023, President Millie took office, promising dramatic austerity measures to curb inflation and withdraw the country from recession.

He brought his “saw” approach to bureaucracy and regulations General spendingOr reduce or freeze the three.

the results It was mixed. Monthly inflation decreased, and Argentina grew stronger. Even GDP (GDP) showed promising signs.

But poverty during the Miley administration also increased. The number of Argentines below the poverty line reached more than 50 percent last year, and unemployment continues to rise.

Orreguerena explained that its students see the gambling online as an alternative, a way to liberate from the poverty cycle. After all, they face limited opportunities in rural areas like Tandil.

“The jobs that they can aspire, like working as rural workers or in the village, feel like forced work due to the severe low wage,” said Erguurenea.

“Children need money, like anyone else. It can cost an outside night of $ 40, and the collection of boxes from vegetables will not get there.”

Vision

But the burden of debt caused by gambling can follow adolescents in adulthood.

In 2024 Ticket Of the 9,000 Argentine youths between the ages of 15 and 29, 40 percent has been accepted in the gambling recently.

Among those who said they were their gambling at the time of the survey, the most active age bow was between 25 and 29: more than 26 percent said they were at the present time.

Martin Romero, a professor at the University of Buenos Aires, led the study. It is attributed to growth on the Internet, partly, to increase the clarity of platforms.

Only this month, SPORTSBET has become a major sponsor of the famous Argentine football team at Interpiration, and his brand is at the top of his shirts.

Two of the country’s largest football clubs already calculate the gambling platforms between its sponsors: River Plate is associated with Codere’s betting site, while Betsson’s Betsson is sponsored by Betsson.

“In recent years, we have seen a huge increase in the aggressive declaration of betting platforms,” ​​said Romero.

“This mutation is supported by Argentine football teams, championships, players, influencers and broadcasters who act as an example for many children, adolescents and youth.”

He also pointed out that Argentina does not have age restrictions on gambling, which makes the country an attractive destination for companies that seek to expand its market.

He said: “The casinos that are transmitted from Europe because of the most stringent regulations can be easily found here.”

Legislative change

Romero hopes to change this. It was among the experts who helped draft a bill that required gambling platforms to build biometric examination tools to prevent children and adolescents from reaching them.

The draft law also called for restrictions on how to announce gambling sites, more transparency about platforms, and unauthorized sites targeting the palace.

But while a copy of the draft law approved the Argentine Representatives Chamber in November, with 54 percent of the votes, the legislation faces an arduous battle in the Senate.

The Lottery Association, Casinoes and Kenillas in Argentina (ALA) pressed against the bill, and Milei pledged the right to veto if it passes, as part of his pushing to cancel the restrictions.

Under his administration, Argentina made legal for teenagers like Youth in 13 To invest in the stock market.

The members of his party have argued that the online gambling organization will set unnecessary borders on individual freedoms.

“This is a responsibility for the families, not the state,” said Laila Limoen, a former designer of Milli and a member of the House of Representatives.

“Once again, the state exceeds its borders when it comes to individual decisions, and our government is against it.”

But Romero said that this policy helps to give parents the impression that “when adolescents put bets, they take their first steps as financing investors.”

He also indicated that in November, Miley Juan Potista was appointed as a government minister for children, adolescents and families. Ordonez is proud of the background in gambling: He previously worked as Codere CEO, a betting website.

Romero said: “I am not surprised that Miley wants to veto against this law,” Romero said.

But he added that the need for urgent regulations. Based on his statistics, two of every three Argentine adolescents receive him from their parents to cover daily expenses are simply gambling.