Online Gambling Tax in Argentina Gains Approval from Chamber of Deputies

The Argentine Chamber of Deputies has approved the Budget for the year 2021, which raises taxes on online gaming from 2% to 5%. Now, the budget is pending full Senate approval.

Although Juntos por el Cambio, the largest opposition party, did not vote, the government, with the help of the Interbloque Federal, the Interbloque Unidad Federal para el Desarrollo and more, obtained the 139 votes required to pass this project.

The Argentinian State Lottery Association (ALEA) has expressed concern about the project, claiming that “any tax on official gambling at a national level favours the expansion of illegal gambling, by increasing the tax pressure on the regulated sector.”

Furthermore, the association assured that this rise “directly affects the local economies since it reduces the income that the provinces and the City of Buenos Aires obtain from gambling through regulatory entities, in their respective jurisdictions. It also decreases the funds allocated to social entities.”