The Argentine entrepreneur and influencer must appear on December 17 before the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Gambling Games of Buenos Aires City.
Argentina.- The entrepreneur, host, and influencer Wanda Nara was summoned for an investigative statement by the Justice of Buenos Aires City, accused of promoting online illegal gambling. Nara must appear on December 17 before the Specialized Prosecutor's Office in Gambling Games of CABA, led by prosecutor Juan Rozas.
The case was initiated ex officio by prosecutor Rozas after the media personality posted on her Instagram account (which has about 17 million followers), an image promoting betting on the site HitItBet, which does not have a license to offer such services. Shortly after, the prosecutor formally charged her with "promotion and recruitment of bettors" through advertising on social networks and other channels.
The virtual casino, which continues online and offers the possibility to bet on European football matches as well as digital slot machines and bingo, still shows the image of the media influencer.
The new charge against Nara is related to the accusations made by the MPF CABA against other influencers accused of promoting online illegal gambling, in an investigation led by prosecutors Alejandro Musso and Juan Rozas, from the UFEIC of San Isidro and the FEJA of Buenos Aires.
In October, prosecutor Rozas began taking statements from the influencers summoned by the Justice for promoting through social networks betting sites that operate without a license.
It is worth remembering that there are 16 influencers under scrutiny as a result of a judicial investigation that included raids and a detention in a private neighborhood of the Atlantic Coast of Buenos Aires. The summons were issued to appear at the prosecutor's office headquarters, Paseo Colón Avenue 1333. The case was initiated following a complaint from the Argentine Chamber of Casino Rooms, Bingos, and Annexes.
Among those investigated are actresses, actors, singers, former participants of the reality show “Big Brother” and other characters who made their fame on social networks, both on TikTok and Instagram.
The first names that emerged were those of Florencia Peña and Marito Laurens, known on TikTok as "Your Trusted Butcher." Also on the list are: Elián Valenzuela (L-Gante), pilot Traniela Campolieto, Morena Rial, Florencia Vigna, Alma Berezowski, Mathias “Coker” Nicolás Vasile, and Joaquín López.
Furthermore, former Big Brother participants Juliana “Furia” Scaglione, Romina Uhrig, Williams López, Agostina Spinelli, Federico “Manzana” Farias, Emmanuel Vich, and Camila Lattanzio were also notified.
The prosecution has screenshots, videos, and other evidence of the promotions carried out by the accused.
The Cyberpatrol Division of the Argentine Federal Police identified over five months various users who promoted online games trying to attract players to the "Virtual Casino."
According to judicial sources, they were charged with alleged infringement of article 301 bis of the Penal Code which penalizes anyone who exploits, manages, operates, or organizes “by themselves or through others, any modality or system of capturing gambling games without having the pertinent authorization issued by the competent jurisdictional authority”.
See also: Law on gambling addiction and online gambling in Argentina: the Chamber of Deputies gave half-sanction to the project with strong restrictions on advertising
Due to the complaints made by the City of Buenos Aires through Lotería de la Ciudad (LOTBA) to combat child gambling addiction and illegal betting, on Tuesday, October 8, the Justice carried out 30 raids and dismantled an organization that exploited clandestine gaming platforms on the Internet. The mega-operation resulted in four people detained, more than 1800 illegal pages blocked and the judicial notification of the influencers.
As part of the operation, at least 1,835 sites were blocked, adding to the list of more than 200 pages that the Public Prosecutor's Office of the City had already removed in September of this year. Also, 16 celebrities and influencers were judicially notified for the "promotion and recruitment of bettors through the advertising they have carried out on social networks and other media."
Among the items seized by the City Police, the Federal Police, the Buenos Aires Province Police, and the Judicial Investigations Corps (CIJ) of the City Public Prosecutor's Office are more than AR$250m, dollars, and firearms.
Among the measures taken by the City to tackle child gambling addiction is the closure of registration for new licenses and a maximum limit of 11 operators, which are those currently active and regulated. Also, 55 awareness workshops were held, reaching more than 6,000 students, and access to online gaming sites was blocked in 1,770 schools.
Also, gaming sites were blocked on school WIFI networks, and access to 1271 legal and illegal pages was blocked from the WIFI network of all public schools in the City. On the other hand, to prevent excessive use of electronic devices and the damage caused by gambling addiction, the city regulated the use of cell phones in all city schools.
