Gambling addiction is an attack on life: Bishops demand that the Senate urgently deal with the bill

The Argentine Episcopal Conference directed a letter to the president of the Senate of the Nation, Dr. Victoria Villarruel and the senators, to request urgent treatment of the bill to prevent gambling addiction by prohibiting the advertising of online gambling games.

“Pathful gambling is an attack on life,” say the Argentine bishops who have spoken insistently about this scourge that seriously affects Argentines, especially the younger population.

For this reason, when addressing the president of the Senate and vice president of the Nation, Dr. Victoria Villarruel, the Executive Commission of the Episcopate expresses “serious concern” about the growth of gambling addiction and especially “the impact that online betting is having on our communities, especially on children, adolescents and young people.”

“On different occasions we have pointed out that the lack of regulations and adequate controls has allowed, in practice, each smart cell phone to become or be used as a ‘casino’, even by children and adolescents,” they state.

In that sense, they remember the statement issued by the Social Pastoral commissions throughout the countrywhere they warned that this addiction is a reality that “does not discriminate social class or geographic region” and pointed out “many reasons that lead us to worry, because we are seeing the social damage that is being caused.”

“Today, given the imminence that the bill on the prevention of gambling addiction – which has half a sanction from the Honorable Chamber of Deputies since November 20, 2024 – will lose parliamentary status if it is not dealt with before November 20, we want to express, with respect and firmness, the importance of this initiative being debated and approved,” they emphasize.

This, they affirm, “constitutes a necessary step in the protection of the most vulnerable people, especially young people. Its content is a concrete advance in the defense of the common good.”

In this framework, citing the presentation of Father Munir Bracco before the plenary session of Senate committees, they pointed out the strong pressures from economic interests behind this business. “Sports betting is the complete opposite of what sport proposes. That is why we insist: betting is not playing, we are not talking about gambling. Playing is something else,” they reiterate.

“Just as we pointed out at the time that in the face of the scourge of drugs and drug trafficking the State is irreplaceable, we reiterate it in the face of this other addiction that crosses ages and social classes: if the State stops or delays its response, the damage will be increasingly deeper and difficult to reverse,” they insist.

The treatment of this law, the bishops consider, “cannot be delayed any longer,” and “letting it fall without having been debated would be an eloquent gesture of disinterest and indifference in the face of a problem that seriously affects thousands of Argentine families,” they say.

“Society needs to see that its representatives are willing to give a responsible response, beyond pressures or conveniences,” they summarize.

Finally, and beyond the obvious harms of gambling addiction, they demand “to know if there is the political will to take the necessary step to care for the most vulnerable,” and remembering the words of Pope Francis in the book Hope never disappointsstate: “Our governments cannot be complicit in instigating gambling addiction.”

“May Our Lady of Luján, Mother of the Argentine people, accompany those who must make decisions in favor of the common good and tenderly care for those who today are injured or violated by these scourges that destroy lives and families,” they conclude.

The letter is signed by the president of the Argentine Episcopal Conference, Mons. Marcelo Daniel Colombo; the 1st vice president, Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi; the 2nd vice president, Mons César Daniel Fernández; and the general secretary, Mons. Raúl Pizarro.

Betting in Argentina

The report Betting is not a gamepublished in September 2024, collected data from 360 locations in the 24 Argentine provinces, interviewing more than 9,000 people, men and women, aged 15 to 29. The research revealed that almost all adolescents and young people heard about online betting.

According to the study, 4 out of 10 teenagers currently bet or recently bet; and 3 out of 4 gamblers dedicate up to two hours a day to the game.

The report revealed that 30% of bettors have experienced anxiety or stress due to not being able to place a bet, and the majority of bettors (60%) consider that they win by chance, especially those who bet in casinos. However, 1 in 5 believe that the result depends on their knowledge of the sport or discipline on which they bet.

Adolescents and young people bet the equivalent of 2 out of every 3 pesos they receive from their parents for their daily expenses; and 3 out of 4 interviewees know friends or relatives who place bets online.