The Lottery of the City of Buenos Aires (LOTBA) and the Social Assistance Fund of the Santa Fe Lottery have formally achieved Level 1 certification under the Technical Standard for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (PLA/FT).
The prestigious international recognition was delivered by the Ibero-American Corporation of State Lotteries and Betting (Cibelae) during the II Ibero-American Lottery Marketing Seminar, which took place between May 31 and June 2 in Buenos Aires.
The formal certificates were accepted by LOTBA President Jesús Mariano Acevedo and Santa Fe Lottery President Daniel Di Lena. According to Cibelae, this standard serves as an essential compliance verification tool, proving an institution’s absolute commitment to combating financial crimes. The milestone distinction is awarded only after a comprehensive auditing process evaluating an entity’s internal control policies, procedures, and systemic security measures.
Carolina Galtieri, coordinator of Cibelae’s PLA/FT Technical Commission, highlighted the regional significance of the milestone:
“By obtaining this validation, both LOTBA and the Santa Fe Lottery show how strong the administrative structure of these entities is and their willingness to comply with international standards for ensuring transparency in the state gaming and betting segment.”
With these new additions, exactly seven state lottery organizations across Latin America have secured Level 1 status, joining Lottopar and CAIXA Loterias from Brazil, the Lottery of Concepción from Chile, IAFAS from Entre Ríos in Argentina, and the National Charity Lottery from El Salvador.
Driving Enforcement Networks Against Unregulated Betting Ecosystems
Concurrently, LOTBA has aggressively accelerated its regulatory enforcement tracks to combat black-market operators and protect vulnerable demographics. Through a joint investigation alongside the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Gambling, LOTBA successfully initiated the countrywide web and mobile application blockage of Polymarket. The enforcement action established Argentina as the first country in Latin America to implement official restrictions against the unauthorized prediction market platform.
To counter underage gambling, LOTBA launched the communicative “Talking is Winning” educational campaign alongside “Hack the Hook,” an interactive learning laboratory debuted at CyberCity 2026 to expose the digital traps used by illicit platforms. Furthermore, the agency has integrated judicial and educational mechanisms to reform the broader marketing ecosystem:
- Social Influencer Training: In coordination with the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Gambling, more than 40 digital influencers underwent mandatory preventive training to halt the promotion of unapproved offshore networks.
- Judicial Prevention Guides: LOTBA signed an institutional agreement with the Buenos Aires Council of Magistrates to develop online betting protection guides for parents, teachers, and students.
- Offender Rehabilitation Courses: In cooperation with local judicial authorities, specialized training sessions were executed for individuals charged with illegal gambling offenses to educate them on the consequences of the black market.
