A Full Review of Online Casinos in Argentina
Famous for its soccer and dancing, Argentina is a country that has plenty to brag about. However, online casino in Argentina is another pastime that’s gaining popularity. Find out all about the best online casinos in Argentina below!
- Popular Online Casinos in Argentina
- Argentina’s Gambling History
- Online Casinos and Argentina Today
- What Are Argentina’s Gambling Laws?
- Popular Casino Games in Argentina
- Mobile Gaming in Argentina
- Banking Methods Commonly Used
- Argentina Online Casino Bonuses
- Customer Service for Argentine Players
- Argentina’s Land-Based Casinos
- Licensing and Security for Argentina Online Casinos
- Summary of Argentina Online Casinos
- Online Casino in Argentina FAQs
Popular Online Casinos in Argentina
- Welcomes Argentinian players
- Pesos welcome
- 60 languages available including Spanish
- Players from Argentina accepted
- Huge variety of live dealer games
- Mobile-friendly design
- Welcomes players from Argentina
- VIP Club available
- Unlimited withdrawals
- Players from Argentina welcome
- Live chat support 24/7
- Over 20 languages available
- Accepts players from Argentina
- Website available in Spanish
- Great selection of arcade games
- Gamblers from Argentina welcome
- Possibility of browsing in Spanish
- Transparent and fair terms and conditions
Argentina’s Gambling History
Gambling is an ancient pastime, common and popular the world over. In Argentina, it was first popularised in the 16th century through the arrival of conquistadors on the South American continent.
By the late 19th century, gambling took on its first regularised form within the country, through the popular horse racing tracks and jockey clubs which cropped up, such as the Buenos Aires Jockey Club in 1882.
Gambling in Modern TimesBy the 1990s, Argentina’s first regularised land-based casinos opened their doors to a warm welcome among the country’s punters and players, setting the stage for Argentinian casinos in the 21st century.
Despite their popularity, the country did not take a unified approach to regulation, opting instead to legislate on a province-by-province basis, similar to online gambling in Germany.
With Argentina’s 23 different provinces, gambling laws applied differently from one Argentinian player to the other. While the market is not as developed as Germany’s, Argentina casinos are not as strictly limited as Turkish gambling sites, for example.
2002 was probably the most important year for the country’s online gambling industry though, as that’s when the first gaming licences for local internet casinos were handed out. In order for the industry to remain local, laws were passed in 2008 forbidding offshore casinos from obtaining a domestic gaming licence.
Online Casinos and Argentina Today
December of 2018 saw Buenos Aires – Argentina’s capital – permit online gambling through it’s ‘Decree 181’. This decree regularised the market by allowing, through licensing, operators to offer all kinds of online betting and casino games within the city.
The most recent policies towards the casino online Argentina have been shaped by a severe financial downturn. As a result of this, the government has reversed some policies regarding the legalisation of a number of casino games – including the long-banned live casino games.
Though players can find a wide selection of gaming options on Argentina licensed casinos, nothing beats the number of games offered by offshore online casinos. Not only that, but foreign casinos tend to give more incentives, along with more generous bonus offers.
What Are Argentina’s Gambling Laws?
What to ExpectWe should start by saying that many forms of gambling are legal to different degrees. Despite this, players should consider gambling in Argentina as illegal, unless it is specifically licensed or allowed by a relevant authority within the country.
There two groups of online casinos in Argentina: those with a gaming licence issued by a regional authority, with fully regulated domains; and offshore casinos operated by foreign companies.
Take note that each region has its own gambling laws, though technically all domestic licences are issued by the Instituto Provincial de Lotería y Casinos Sociedad del Estado. Up until recently, many local authorities including the capital of Buenos Aires were hostile to any gambling websites, while others had no regulation at all. But for economic reasons, laws are changing, with a new regulated online gambling market evolving.
Domestic online casinos can now apply for licensing, though the requirements are tough, with many detailed policies and stringent rules to follow. As a result, there are very few Argentinian online casinos actually based in Argentina. Nevertheless, these all offer their games in Spanish, and they accept the national currency.
Popular Casino Games in Argentina
Argentinian players are no different to their worldwide counterparts when it comes to favourite casino games. Whether it’s slots at Argentina’s best mobile casinos or table games for players to use their skills instead of just relying on luck, Argentinian casinos usually stock plenty of variety.
Slots
Known as ‘máquinas tragamonedas' in Spanish, these are by far the favourite online gambling activity enjoyed by Argentinian players. There’s a huge range of slots out there – from the classic fruit machines to thoroughly modern slots offering great prizes via progressive jackpots. A great example of an immersive and exciting slot is the Book of Dead.
Slots games are usually sought after if they offer players the best slot RTP or else have special features not offered elsewhere.
But of course, it’s not just slot games that are available at the best online casinos in Argentina – a wide variety of table games will usually also be on offer. Most of the time, there’s even a choice of whether these are played solo, or else at one of the best live casinos with a real dealer!
Roulette
When most non-gamblers think of casinos, they automatically imagine the roulette wheel surrounded by excited players all dressed up to the nines. The game relies entirely on luck, as the dealer drops a tiny ivory ball into the spinning wheel.
Blackjack
(Source: pixabay.com | © englishlikeanative)
This is one of the few casino games that requires both luck and skill. In fact, there are a number of blackjack strategies available, which, along with a keen mathematical mind, can swing the house edge into the player’s favour. The ultimate goal for a player at the best blackjack online casinos is to get the value of his card hand as close to 21 as possible without going over.
Blackjack is played between a single player and the dealer. Due to the influence of skill, it offers players some of the best odds in the casino, with a house edge of just 1% in some cases.
Poker
(Source: pixabay.com | © Arcaion)
Poker is the quintessential and perhaps most recognisable game you can find at online casino in Argentina. It is worth noting that the Latin America Poker Tour takes place twice a year in Argentina.
An interesting fact is that online poker was one of the first games to receive licensing in Argentina, way back in 2002. Online casinos offer different variants of poker, such as Three-Card Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, Casino Hold'em, and American Poker. Probably one of the most popular poker games, however, is Texas Hold'em. If you want to know more about this game, check our guide on the best poker casinos.
Bingo
Probably one of the most popular gambling pastimes throughout the country is playing bingo in the many bingo halls that dot the nation.
It’s also possible to find many online bingo rooms in casinos from Argentina. Many of the best bingo sites and online casinos in Argentina will also have any number of side games available for this popular game.
Other Games
It’s not just the casinos that attract Argentinian punters. Historically, they have been able to bet on the horses, as well as play the lottery. The government runs the largest lottery, the National Lottery of Argentina, which began back in 1944. The selection of games includes Loto Tradicional, Loto Desquite, Loto Sale o Sale, Loto 5, and QUINI6 Tradicional, among others.
Mobile Gaming in Argentina
As with most countries, advances in both mobile phones technology and internet speeds have contributed to the continually rising popularity of mobile casinos in Argentina. Today, virtually all the best game titles available at Argentina mobile casinos are either accessible via modern HTML5 webpages or as downloads from app stores.
Whether in-browser or in-app, this means responsive webpages which work perfectly on mobile devices, whether Apple or Android!
Banking Methods Commonly Used
As part of their legal requirements, local Argentinian online casinos can only accept funds via bank transfer using Lobanet or DineroMail. Internationally-licensed casinos, on the other hand, tend to accept a much wider variety of payment options.
US Dollar LimitationsThe Argentinian government has recently imposed currency limits on the use of US Dollars. In some cases, this means there are hard limits for how many Argentinian pesos can be exchanged for US Dollars.
Though these are by far the most popular payment platforms around the globe, for Argentinian casinos it’s not the case. This is because credit card usage in the county is lower than in other countries.
Credit card casinos such as Visa or Mastercard gambling sites or Maestro casino sites nevertheless exist within the Argentinian casino market.
For gambling at Argentinian casinos and sticking to Pesos, players often use Pagofacil, Mercado Pago and RapiPago. These are prepaid card services, meaning the user ‘loads’ their card balance through other means beforehand, prior to making a purchase.
Prepaid card casinos offer instant deposits and a high level of security. The major downside is that you’ll be limited to low maximum deposits, and many of the cards don’t allow withdrawals.
Cryptocurrencies and subsequently, crypto casinos, have not taken hold in Argentina. Furthermore, the Central Bank of Argentina recently banned the purchase of cryptocurrencies by credit card, throwing a huge spanner in the works as far as adoption for this payment method goes.
Online casinos available in Argentina still sometimes support this method. Despite being praised for their anonymity, crypto casinos still require KYC checks upon checkout.
E-wallet casinos, such as those supporting Skrill and NETELLER, are extremely popular for payments in Argentina. Argentina online casino players praise the method for its ease of use and speed – in fact, many times, both deposit and withdrawal times are instant.
In addition, there are low fees and built-in security designed to keep banking details off the web. Other e-wallet options include PayPal, Payz, MuchBetter, Trustly, and both Apple and Google Pay.
Depositing funds via bank transfer is safe and easy. The process usually only involves inputting the deposit amount into the casino site in question, along with some banking details through online banking.
The only downsides are that deposit and withdrawal times can take up to 7 days. Apart from that, support for local banks can be limited.
Argentina Online Casino Bonuses
Locally based Argentinian casinos might not offer the best casino bonuses due to their licensing conditions. The more legally-ambiguous, internationally-licensed casinos, on the other hand, tend to offer their players more impressive and generous playing incentives.
Designed to draw in new players, the best welcome bonuses offer some of the most generous rewards once you’ve made your first casino account deposit. These offers often match the player’s deposit in bonus funds, sometimes a number of times over, along with a number of free spins!
While certainly generous, most of these offers will have certain requirements listed in the terms and conditions of the website in question.
Free spin bonuses are often given out coupled with the initial welcome bonus, though you can win any number of them during a slot’s gameplay. You may find that they come with time limits, as well as limitations on which titles they can be played with.
The best cashback bonuses are often intended to promote a player’s loyalty to a particular casino site. On the whole, these will be paid out as a percentage of your losses on certain games over a period of time – which can be weekly, monthly, or based on the losses from a particular deposit. A 20% cashback is common, though there will normally be a cash limit of $50.
The cashback and reload bonuses are quite similar in their purpose: rewarding players for their continued play. Reload bonuses are usually offered for a player's subsequent deposits, rewarding them with a bonus match of their deposited funds. Normally, it’s around 50% to 75%. You may also see these offers listed as loyalty points.
Keep in mind that many bonuses come with some requirements, probably the most important of these will be the wagering or playthrough requirements. This refers to the number of times you’ll need to bet the bonus amount before you can claim any winnings stemming from the original bonus. Often this can mean wagering between 15 – 100 times or more. 35x seems to be the current industry standard.
Pro Tip!Also keep an eye out for time limits as well as the actual weight of a game’s contribution towards the playthrough requirements. For example, you may find that table games only contribute 10% or may not even count at all, whereas slots will add 100%. We suggest that you always take the time to read through the casino’s terms and conditions.
Customer Service for Argentine Players
Many online casinos in Argentina will offer a 24/7 live chat support team, and they can also be contacted via email and phone call. It is worth noting that most casinos will offer support in both English and Spanish.
Argentina’s Land-Based Casinos
Today you can find 172 land-based gambling establishments located over 133 cities. Most of these will be attached to luxury hotels and resorts…there are even two floating casinos on the River Plate!
By far the largest gambling province is Buenos Aires, with its largest casino, the Casino Buenos Aires, hosting over 120 gaming tables along with 1,400 slots.
Licensing and Security for Argentina Online Casinos
For those players choosing to play on domestic online casino in Argentina websites, all will be regulated according to the strict licensing rules imposed by regional authorities. These licences guarantee that the casinos are safe and secure.
All games of skill will be regulated, though as previously mentioned, not via federal laws, but rather at a regional level. This means that gambling rules may vary across the country.
Reputable foreign or offshore online casinos are usually licensed at international jurisdictions. This ensures that such things as personal and banking data are kept secure, and that the games are fair. The most reputable issuing authorities are listed in our guide below.
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MGA
The Malta Gaming Authority presently offers over 500 gaming licences to online casinos all over the world. The gaming authority maintains a stellar reputation and is very respected throughout the casino industry.
Because Malta is part of the EEA, gamblers from other EEA countries can receive their winnings tax free from any casino with an MGA licence.
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UKGC
The UK Gambling Commission is without a doubt, the gold standard as far as gambling regulatory bodies go. Their vetting process offers strong protection for online gamblers, with a huge number of hoops to jump through to obtain this valuable licence. The whole process takes up to 6 months, and if they don’t like something about the casino during that time, then the licence will not be issued.
If you scroll down to the bottom of any top online casino site, you’ll see their licence number. Then head over to the UK Gambling Commission’s website to check the number against their licensing details.
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Curaçao Gaming Control Board
Thanks to its low fees and quick licence processing, the Curaçao Gaming Board attracts many operators. It also offers a much less stringent vetting process for potential licence holders. Not only is it one of the cheapest jurisdictions for casino licensing, but the master licence allows the holder to grant sub-licences for no added charge.
While still reputable, because of its more relaxed attitude to regulations and compliance, Curaçao Gaming licensed websites should be approached with more care.
Summary of Argentina Online Casinos
Overall, the Argentinian government practices quite a laissez-faire attitude towards gambling, despite some official legal restrictions. There are those who think that the new tax hikes could actually be more financially beneficial for the country if carried out in conjunction with offering foreign casinos licences, of course.
Online casinos in Argentina offer a wide range of games, including slots, poker and live dealer games. In addition, they are for the most part safe and have good customer support.
We hope to see Argentina online casinos flourish thanks to the more liberal approach more recent legislatures have taken toward gambling. A country-wide federalised and unified approach to the subject would certainly make our job and the lives of many Argentinian gambling site enthusiasts much easier!
Online Casino in Argentina FAQs
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Though some forms of online gambling are legal in Argentina, many players prefer to utilise offshore casinos, which exist in more of a grey area with the law. These casinos are considered safe and secure if they’re licensed by a reputable gaming authority.
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Absolutely! Each casino in Argentina will offer its players a huge selection of bonuses and incentives.
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Each top online casino in Argentina will be totally compatible with all mobile devices, whether running iOS or Android.
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You’ll need to be at least 18 years of age to gamble online or in a land-based casino.
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If you’re playing at online casinos in Argentina, then yes you can. In fact, it’s the only currency they’ll accept. But many offshore casinos don’t accept the Peso. Depending on the payment method, the currency will be automatically converted to Euros, Dollars, or UK pounds.