The web has provided countless choices for enthusiasts of gambling, with hundreds of internet bookmakers now available in the market.
Sporting and betting are deeply rooted traditions in Argentina, but is online money wagering a reality? We will find out below, or alternatively for those who know this already simply here is a list of the best and most trustworthy bookies in Argentina.
Gambling has been in existence for almost as long as humans have. In fact, wagering traces back to the days of ancient Rome, and developments such as the Internet have led to a substantial increase in gambling.
During the years, unlike most other countries in the world, Argentina has generally shown a lack of active engagement with regard to gambling.
The number of racecourses started to grow in the mid 1900’s as the sport became more popular. In 1979, a totalizer gambling system was installed and this added to the already numerous betting options like off course lotteries and telephone betting, which made it possible for many citizens to place their bets.
Many lotteries operated by the government, including the national lottery accept bets on various sport events where football is the most popular. Several gambling websites exist in Argentina that allow bets to be placed on various markets. In fact it was this type of welcome by the Argentinian betting firms that even prompted Ladbrokes, a UK bookmaking giant, to discuss opening a bookie in Buenos Aires throughout 1994 and 1995.
The development of the internet in the late 90’s and early 2000’s saw a considerable growth of online gaming. The authorities of Argentina were not as unfriendly to this new type of gambling as many other nations. Instead of imposing an outright ban or prohibition, the government opted for provincial regulations and licenses to control internet gambling. This brought about a slightly confusing atmosphere due to lack of uniformity in regulation and general disarray.
They launched a customized local site and were licensed by IPLyC in Misiones Province, so they hoped that they could operate and offer their services throughout the land.
Though he never admitted it, Victor Chandler’s attempt to enter the industry was not successful as there were a number of legal hitches and jurisdiction problems that implicated the company’s operations and its legitimacy outside the province in which they were licensed. As a result, in 2010, the company had to withdraw from the area following several litigations.
In the same province, Bwin Argentina had its license revoked in 2012 as a result of similar breaches by the major European bookmaker. This was seen as a general step by the company to leave places where it did not have licenses.
Despite rulings and judgments against foreign companies providing services to Argentines, the operations of international companies are still ongoing, most accepting Argentinian customers. The 2008 ban on unlicensed foreign bookmakers appears to have been largely in vain.
Bwin’s recent negative experience with the authorities in Argentina must have been very unpleasant as they are no longer offering their services to Argentine citizens. It appears BetVictor has opted for a different strategy by still accepting registrations from the same residents where they had previously established.
Some other main online bookies that accept Argentinean customers are:
A majority of the websites available offer translation to Spanish hence they are user friendly to the Argentinean customer. MarathonBet on the other hand goes ahead by offering Argentine Pesos as one of the options for currency from their websites.
It generally appears like only few bookmakers will not accept individuals from Argentina for business because there is a small chance of receiving penalties from Argentine authorities against the huge possibility of gaining new customers.
There have been efforts before now to direct national ISPs to block foreign gambling sites, but they were largely unsuccessful.
Bet-at-home is willing to concede an initial amount of €50. Some bookies like BetVictor do not offer sign up bonuses for people registering from Argentina, and the offers keep on changing so you need to read the terms and conditions in each site.
Argentinean clients consider debit and credit cards as one of the most preferred modes of payment, while many credible sites recognize Visa and Mastercard.
Lobanet is an intermediary that facilitates business-to-business transactions in Latin America, in which case customers are enabled to undertake their transactions swiftly and safely. There is little doubt that the inclusion of this payment method by bookmakers such as William Hill, 888Sport and BetRedKings among its deposit options was intended to attract customers.
Among the frequently used facilities are Moneybookers, Skrill, Paypal, AstroPay, Paysafecard and Ukash where one is using dollars or pounds sterling as a more universally recognised currency. With their unlicensed bookmakers, betting has been facilitated by a massive rise of prepaid cards and E-wallets.
Without question, the most popular sport in Argentina is football. Argentina has nurtured arguably two of the greatest players to walk the earth in Messi and Maradona. Despite both being diminutive in stature, their accomplishments are almost unrivalled. The pair have accumulated endless accolades and trophies and are idolised worldwide.
The national team is filled with skilled players and it is the World Cup of 2014 favorites who are also winners of the trophy in its previous two editions. Like many parts of South America, most talented players graduate from domestic academies before moving to other countries to build their careers.
However, as most of the home-grown players continue to be exported to Europe, there is still a high level of quality and competitiveness in the local league.
The ‘Superclásico’, which is one of the most intense derbies in the world, takes place in Argentina; and is contested by Boca Juniors and River Plate (the two most successful teams in the country), who have global following from millions annually.
Argentinians have used horse racing, as said before, to gamble in the past. As far as South America is concerned, Argentina remains its representative horse-racing nation with a number of big tracks found in Santa Fe, San Luis and Buenos Aires. Many of the top racehorses were shipped across to Europe and the Middle East; much of the best equine talent has been bought to race on the other side of the world.
Argentina racing is supported well by the nation with betting outlets at the tracks and off course.
Argentine boxer Marcos Maidana challenged the undefeated star Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas with millions of pesos staked on him as he pushed the pound for pound king closer than anyone else has ever done recently. Other current household names include Lucas Matthysse, who is a hard punching individual and Sergio Martinez, who is a fan favourite.
Argentina has been playing basketball for over five decades now, but recently it gained much popularity due to the fact that its national team has become successful and won gold medal at the Olympic Games which took place in 2004. Liga Nacional de Básquet or LNB is a domestic competition featuring 16 professional teams. There isn’t a women’s professional league, but rather amateur women participate heavily in basketball.
Like in football, leading players normally go to Europe because they want more competition and higher earnings. This migration greatly contributed towards the national team’s standards improvement; 2007 World Cup where it came third was the highlight of its relatively short life.
Other recreationally and professionally popular sports include tennis, golf and polo alongside volleyball on which Argentina has had a lot of success.
In history, Argentine authorities have had a permissive attitude towards gaming. The mistake was made as online gambling increased by giving the power to individual provinces to grant licences. A nationwide approach would have provided more clarity and might have led to fewer legal disputes with firms like Bwin and Victor Chandler.
However, the Argentinean government has been considering liberalization of casino markets; regulation and licensing of foreign operators. In its current status, it is not hard for those in Argentina to reach bookies based in different countries and various payment options make everything simple.
Given their interest in variety of sports, it’s no wonder bookies want to serve Argentina.
[1] https://calvinayre.com/2010/04/15/business/victor-chandler-exits-argentina-bwin-not-far-behind/ Victor Chandler has exited Argentina, not too far behind is Bwin.
[2] https://btagi.org/en/node/59
