On Aconcagua Radio, Maximiliano Ferraro warns about youth gambling addiction and questions Wanda Nara and Tinelli for promoting online betting.
The Civic Coalition representative called on the Senate to move forward with the law regulating online gambling. He denounced the harmful role of influencers and asserted that "the lobby is fierce" in trying to stop the law.
Online gambling is becoming increasingly popular among teenagers.
Maximiliano Ferraro attacked Wanda Nara and Marcelo Tinelli on Aconcagua Radio for "promising easy money" on social media and pointed to the Senate 's legislative block on the bill seeking to restrict advertising on betting platforms.
“ They haven't learned anything ,” said Maximiliano Ferraro, a national representative from the Civic Coalition, referring to Wanda Nara and Marcelo Tinelli. “ We're once again seeing celebrities promising easy money on social media. In Wanda's case, she had already been charged with promoting illegal platforms and had agreed to make a preventive video. But this weekend they once again advertised deceptive sweepstakes that actually lead to people opening accounts at online betting houses ,” he explained.
Ferraro is one of the sponsors of the bill that prevents childhood gambling addiction and prohibits direct and indirect advertising of online gambling . The initiative received preliminary approval in the House of Representatives in November 2023 with 140 votes in favor , but remains stalled in the Senate.
" Today, the bill is sleeping in the Senate. We appeal to all parties and the vice president to address it urgently. It's a public health issue ," he warned.
The legislator highlighted that 40% of gamblers are between 15 and 29 years old , and that one in four teenagers who have gambled at some point have gone into debt or used money intended for another purpose . “ The problem isn't just the legality of the platforms, but the message and the impact the influencers have. Thousands of kids are caught in the middle ,” he noted.
He also denounced the economic power of gambling companies. “ In 2023, the top 10 betting platforms spent more than 73 billion pesos on advertising in Argentina, double that of 2022. And that's not counting social media or Google ,” Ferraro said.
For the congressman, the sector's lobby explains part of the legislative paralysis: " Many didn't want it to move forward. There was enormous pressure, mainly regarding the part that prohibits advertising. Gambling has often financed politics ."
The law includes preventive measures, biometric identification, and access control for minors , and was promoted alongside other blocs, such as Unión por la Patria, the UCR, Encuentro Federal, and others. " It took us a long time to reach this decision; more than 120 representatives participated in five committees ," he recalled.
Ferraro concluded with a request to the Senate: " Do not relinquish your authority to guarantee the right to mental health. Tax revenue cannot take priority over the health of Argentines ."
Listen to the full article here, and you can listen to the radio live at www.aconcaguaradio.com
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