Argentine Church urges Senate to prioritize gambling addiction bill

The Episcopal Commission for Social Pastoral (CEPAS) has sent a formal letter to the President of the Argentine Senate, Victoria Villarruel, urging the immediate resumption of a bill regarding gambling addiction prevention and the regulation of online betting.

The organization warned that the project faces a concrete risk of losing its parliamentary status this coming November, which would lead to the definitive archiving of the text. The bill has already received partial approval in the Chamber of Deputies.

CEPAS highlighted that the lack of legislative response shifts the human, social, and health costs of gambling onto families and society. They noted a growing concern regarding the rise in betting activities, particularly among children and adolescents, describing the phenomenon as the installation of a ‘culture of gambling and chance’ that threatens mental health and life.