Legal and regulated casino gambling is available in Argentina and there are several casinos and casino resorts to chose among.
As a general rule, casino gambling is not permitted in Argentina unless it has been expressly authorised by a competent authority. Argentina is a federal state, where the competence to regulate gambling, including casino gambling, is held by local jurisdictions. At the time of writing, land-based gambling is regulated and authorised in all provinces and in the City of Buenos Aires.
The country consists of 23 provinces and the City of Buenos Aires – each with their own power to regulate gambling. If we take a step down, we find over 3,200 municipalities with a limited second-level competence over gambling activities. It is typically the municipalities that issue business permits for the operation of land-based casinos, and also regulate the framework for local casino advertising and promotional activities. Exactly how much power each municipality has depends on the applicable provincial legislature. Important: In the City of Buenos Aires, there is no municipal level when it comes to casino gambling – it is all handled at city level.
When it comes to legal gambling in Argentina, more information can be obtained by contacting the competent local authority in the province you are interested in, or in the City of Buenos Aires.
- Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires SE (City of Buenos Aires)
- Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (Province of Buenos Aires)
- Caja de Prestaciones Sociales de la Provincia de Catamarca (Province of Catamarca)
- Lotería Chaqueña (Province of Chaco)
- Instituto de Asistencia Social de Chubut (Province of Chubut)
- Lotería de la Provincia de Córdoba SE (Province of Córdoba)
- Instituto de Lotería y Casinos de Corrientes (Province of Corrientes)
- Instituto de Ayuda Financiera a la Acción Social (Province of Entre Ríos)
- Instituto de Asistencia Social (Province of Formosa)
- Banco de Desarrollo de Jujuy SE (Province of Jujuy)
- Instituto de Seguridad Social de La Pampa (Province of La Pampa)
- Administración General de Juegos de Azar de La Rioja (Province of La Rioja)
- Instituto Provincial de Juegos y Casinos de la Provincia de Mendoza (Province of Mendoza)
- Instituto Provincial de Loterías y Casinos de la Provincia de Misiones SE (Province of Misiones)
- Instituto Provincial de Juegos de Azar de Neuquén (Province of Neuquén)
- Lotería para Obras de Acción Social de la Provincia de Rio Negro (Province of Río Negro)
- Ente Regulador del Juego de Azar de la Provincia de Salta (Province of Salta)
- Caja de Acción Social de San Juan (Province of San Juan)
- Caja Social y Financiera de la Provincia de San Luis (Province of San Luis)
- Lotería para Obras de Acción Social de la Provincia de Santa Cruz (Province of Santa Cruz)
- Caja de Asistencia Social de la Provincia de Santa Fe (Province of Santa Fe)
- Caja Social de Santiago del Estero (Province of Santiago del Estero)
- Instituto Provincial de Regulación de Apuestas de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur (Province of Tierra del Fuego)
- Caja Popular de Ahorros de la Provincia de Tucumán (Province of Tucumán).
Online gambling from Argentina
All jurisdictions in Argentina that have moved forward in the regulation of online casino gambling are requiring operators to establish a local entity for their business and apply for the necessary licenses, authorisations and permits through the applicable local entity. Online casino businesses that do not operate through a local Argentinian entity are considered offshore gambling operators.
The City of Buenos Aires is an example of an Argentine jurisdiction that is actively working to stop non-local gambling operators from being accessed by gamblers in their jurisdiction. This includes both offshore gambling operators and gambling operators that are established and fully legal in another part of Argentina (but not within the City of Buenos Aires).
The City of Buenos Aires is approaching the matter through a combination of methods, including administrative techniques, criminal prosecution and website-blocking orders. The work is rooted in the provisions of Sections 116 and 117 of the Contravention and Misdemeanor Code and, Section 301 bis of the Argentine National Criminal Code.
Brick-and-mortar casinos in Argentina
Land-based gambling is regulated and authorised in all the 23 provinces + the City of Buenos Aires, and legal casinos, lottery sales venues, betting shops, and other gambling venues are found in Argentina.
Below are just two examples of brick-and-mortar casinos found in Argentina. Both of them are located within Greater Buenos Aires.
Casino Central
Inaugurated on December 22, 1939, Casino Central is one of the most renowned of the Argentine casinos. It is located on the illustrious Boulevard Marítimo in Mar del Plata, which is within Buenos Aires.
While many casinos opt for a no-windows design, the main gambling room of Casino Central offers an amazing view of the Atlantic Ocean. Including the separate rooms for high-rollers, the total area of gaming space in Casino Central is 7,000 square metres. Examples of available games are roulette, blackjack, craps, baccarat, and slot machines. The peak of the year is January, when the casino receives an average of 18,000 guests per day during the weekends.
Casino Central is housed in one of the twin seafront buildings designed by Alejandro Bustillo – both being architectural landmarks of Mar del Plata, with their touches of French Neoclassicism and notable brick and quartzite cladding. Between the twins, Bustillo designed the Guillermo Brown square, which opens to the sea via wide stone steps flanked by huge statues of sea lions (carved by José Fioravanti).
The casino decorations was the responsibility of the famed French designer Jean-Michel Frank, who was already in Argentina to work on the Llao Llao Hotel in the foothills of the Andes, and who decorated Casino Central together with the local interior design house Casa Comte.
Throughout the 20th century, the grand entrance to the casino faced Patricio Peralta Ramos Avenue, but after a major refurbishment in 2007 it was moved to the seashore esplanade.
Trilenum Casino
Located in Tigre, Trilenum Casino is a part of the one of the country´s largest entertainment centres. The casino itself includes 237,000 square feet of gambling space, divided over three levels. In addition to approximately 75 live dealer tables, you can work your way through an amazing 1,800+ slot and poker machines here.
Examples of available table games are French roulette, American roulette, 3 card poker, blackjack, craps, and punto banco. Poker cash games and poker tournaments are also offered, usually in the form of Texas Hold´em.
Tigre is a city on one of the islands within the Paraná Delta, and it is a popular weekend destination – especially for people living in more urban parts of the Greater Buenos Aires. It is reachable by public transportation, including the scenic Tren de la Costa. The name Tigre alludes to the ”tigers” (actually jaguars) that used to live here.