Buenos Aires provincial deputy Valentín Miranda has requested more details from the government of Axel Kicillof regarding the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan to Tackle Problem Gambling Among Adolescents.
Miranda requested details regarding the current status of the program, who is in charge of it, and how often the involved officials meet, following the state’s implementation of an initiative to address and prevent online gambling amongst young minors that began in July 2024.
A provincial representative stated that 7 provincial ministries and institutions were cooperatively established through the plan to develop systematic approaches to healthcare, education and enforcement related to online gambling in youth throughout the State, due to the increase of youth engaged in online gambling.
Miranda expressed that although there has been a great deal of support shared between all levels of government, there continues to be little data available to determine the success or effectiveness of this initiative nearly 2 years after its inception. He requested information on surveys, research, public policy, school awareness campaigns, and school-related teacher training regarding gambling-related occurrences within students.
Additionally, he requested information related to support services for youth experiencing gambling addiction, including how many youths have received assistance and the involvement of families in prevention and recovery efforts.
Valentín Miranda said:
Our intention is strictly collaborative. We know that consensus was reached about the need to oppose adolescent gambling addiction, so we would like to help solve this problem. For this purpose, we are counting on the promptness of the executive branch’s reply to our queries.
When the prevention plan was first introduced, Government Minister Carlos Bianco said it had been developed following instructions from Governor Kicillof to support teenagers and strengthen oversight of gambling networks.
At the time, health authorities also shared the results of a June 2024 survey of 434 secondary school students, which found that 34% had gambled online at least once.
