Best Argentinian sports betting sites

Population: 45.376.763
Active players: 7.000.000
Currency: Argentine peso (ARS)
Regulated gambling products: Sports betting, casino games, horse racing, lottery
Operator types: Licensed & unlicensed online bookmakers and casinos, land-based betting shops & casinos
Designated authority: Each one of the 24 provinces has a different regulatory authority
Status: Semi-regulated

Argentina is the second most populated country in Latin America, with an estimated population of around 46 million. It is the birthplace of football legends Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi. Gambling in Argentina started with the first legal lottery in the 1810s shortly after the country declared its independence from Spain in 1816. The gambling sector grew immensely with the horse races at the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo that opened in Buenos Aires in 1876 and began taking bets from thousands of people.

In the 1960s, sports betting became a common pastime for many Argentinians. Online betting is semi-regulated nowadays. The country consists of 24 provinces in total, from which only 10 have online regulation in place. International sports betting sites in Argentina are typically illegal; however, there are no legal restrictions for players who opt for them.

Gambling in Argentina - 5 things to know

• The legal gambling age in Argentina is 18 years
• Annual online gambling revenue is circa $420 million
• Bueno Aires announced the results for gambling licenses in 2021
• Only 10 provinces have regulated online gambling 
• There is no tax on betting winnings

Best sports betting sites in Argentina

The following are the top betting sites in Argentina. They offer a great range of betting markets on the Argentine Primera División, as well as high odds and appealing promotions on a daily basis.

Online sports betting in Argentina: The gambling law framework

Argentina is organized under a federal system. 24 provinces including the city of Buenos Aires constitute the country’s administrative model. Up to February 2018, the Sports Forecast Law dealt with organized betting on sports nationwide. It allowed forecasts on any sporting event, with the exception of horse racing. The National Lottery managed and offered all betting options. It was a public corporation that was exclusively responsible for the country’s betting landscape. The National Lottery dissolved in February 2018, via Decree No. 95/2018 of the Argentine National Executive.

Nowadays, every province has the competence to regulate gambling by its own local jurisdiction. So, there are no federal Argentina gambling laws. Instead, each provincial authority has already set out its own gambling regulations. Land-based gambling is legal in all provinces. However, the province of Buenos Aires was the first to put forward the regulation of online gambling in order to grant Argentina online gambling licenses. Currently, the following 10 provinces have online gambling regulations in place: Buenos Aires, Misiones, Tucumán, Neuquén, San Luis, Entre Ríos, Chaco, Río Negro, La Pampa and Corrientes. Each one of them has a separate regulatory authority.

The online activity of bookmakers is limited to each province; otherwise, they might face prosecution and website blocking. Many international bookies have already applied for betting licenses; still, none of them has received one. On the contrary, a few local operators such as Palpitos24, Interbet, Jugadon and Guazubet already hold licenses. All licensees pay taxes. In Argentina, gambling tax is threefold: federal, provincial and municipal. The federal tax is 41% and applies to betting operators in all provinces. There is also a 21-25% provincial and municipal tax depending on each province.

Essential information for Argentinian bettors

In Argentina online gambling regulation is either on its way in many provinces or has already been settled and the applications for online betting licenses are under review. Locals gamble on licensed bookmakers. However, no legal action has been reported against players who choose to place their bets on non-licensed international bookies. Betting winnings are tax free. Nevertheless, there is a 5% tax that applies on every bet placed on licensed operators. Yet, this tax doesn’t apply on bets placed on international sportsbooks.

One of the most popular deposit methods among players are debit/credit cards. Furthermore, local bookmakers in Argentina offer a popular deposit method in Latin American nations called Lobanet. This payment allows instant bank transfers. On the other hand, bettors who opt for international sportsbooks, prefer to deposit funds to their account through globally known e-wallets, such as Skrill, Neteller and EcoPayz. Their primary concern is to keep their personal information as safe as possible, that is why they avoid cards and bank wire.

The future of online betting in Argentina

With an estimated annual revenue of USD 2.4 billion in online gambling, Argentina is planning to fully regulate online betting in all 24 provinces over the coming years, in order to boost its own economy. The Argentinian government increased the tax on every wager from 2% to 5% in early 2021. Moreover, the authorities seem ready to regulate the online gambling environment soon, since most bettors opt for international operators. Thus, the country is determined to increase its tax revenue through the legalization of many renowned international sportsbooks sooner rather than later.

On the list below you can check all the bookmakers that operate in Argentina and choose the one that suits your betting needs.