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Are Online Casinos Kaput in S. America?

Rumors are swirling that a major South American gambling hub could soon have something really negative in common with the United States. Is the government of Argentina ready to clamp down on online slot machine and gambling sites, a la the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act that was created by the Bush administration? There are a couple of reasons to believe that might be the case. The massive Formoapuestas gambling site of Buenos Aires was shut down by the government recently, with casino officials grousing that they were given no real warning. Was the closing indicative of the Argentine government’s plans to enact some soft of new, restrictive lawmaking against the lucrative and popular industry?

It’s too soon to tell, but plenty of international gambling firms are keeping their ears close to the ground in the meantime. In the past couple of years, South America has really emerged as something of a new mecca for online slot machine and casino gambling companies. Operations settling in the Latin America region have yet to supplant those of, say, Asia, but companies with current or future plans to locate in Argentina may want to give that decision careful consideration.

If the action against Formoapuestas is any indication, Argentine officials may try to block online slot and casino gambling sites at an ISP level, which is more effective than a simple legislative ban like the UIGEA. Latter-day advances in the area of protocol and hosting have made it so that even this is not one hundred percent effective either, though.

Back to October 2008 Archive.