Online casino in the Ciudad de Buenos Aires 2026: LOTBA, licensed operators and how to check a licence

As of 22 September 2026, online casinos in the Ciudad de Buenos Aires are legal and regulated by Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA), which grants five-year permits to private operators; among those we review, Betano, Betsson, bplay, Codere, BetWarrior and Casino Buenos Aires Online hold a LOTBA permit. [VERIFICAR cantidad total de plataformas autorizadas, norma y cada entrada en el listado oficial] Status: a regulated, operating market.

How the CABA market works

The Ciudad de Buenos Aires was one of the first jurisdictions in the country to open online gambling with a model of permits for private operators. LOTBA (the Buenos Aires City lottery regulator), which runs the lottery and regulates gambling in the City, grants five-year permits [VERIFICAR norma y plazo] to companies that meet technical, financial and responsible gambling requirements, and publishes a list of authorised platforms. Authorised operators use .bet.ar domains (Casino Buenos Aires Online, the online version of the Puerto Madero casino, uses a .com.ar domain [VERIFICAR]).

| Item | Ciudad de Buenos Aires (as of 22 September 2026) | |---|---| | Regulator | Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA) | | Market status | Regulated and operating | | Model | Permits for private operators | | Permit term | Five years [VERIFICAR] | | Authorised platforms | Eleven [VERIFICAR en el listado oficial] | | Official list | [VERIFICAR URL oficial] | | Minimum age | 18 | | Verification | DNI (national ID), an address in CABA, child-support debtors register (since September 2026) [VERIFICAR] | | Responsible gambling helpline | Published by LOTBA [VERIFICAR número y horario] |

Operators with a LOTBA permit that we review

| Operator | LOTBA permit | Also in the Provincia de Buenos Aires | Review | |---|---|---|---| | Betano | Yes [VERIFICAR número] | Yes (IPLyC) | Betano review | | Betsson | Yes [VERIFICAR número] | Yes (IPLyC) | Betsson review | | bplay | Yes [VERIFICAR número] | Yes (IPLyC) | bplay review | | Codere | Yes [VERIFICAR número] | No (licensed in Mendoza, IPJyC) | Codere review | | BetWarrior | Yes [VERIFICAR número] | Yes (IPLyC) | BetWarrior review | | Casino Buenos Aires Online | Yes [VERIFICAR número] | No | Casino Buenos Aires Online review | | bet365 | Not confirmed [VERIFICAR] | Yes (IPLyC) | bet365 review | | Stake | No (without a provincial licence) | No | Stake review |

The cards above are generated from our database and match each operator's review. If LOTBA adds or removes a permit, the change appears on every page at once and is logged with a date.

What registration at a LOTBA-licensed casino requires

1. Legal age: 18, proven with your DNI.
2. An address in the Ciudad de Buenos Aires: the operator compares the address on your DNI (and sometimes a proof of address) with the permit's jurisdiction. An address in the Provincia sends you to the Provincia domain, if the operator has one.
3. Child-support debtors register: since September 2026 the operator checks the City's public register in real time and rejects anyone listed. [VERIFICAR norma]
4. One account per person: the licence requires it; opening two accounts to claim two bonuses voids them.
5. A payment account in your own name: withdrawals go to a CBU or CVU (the Argentine bank and virtual account numbers) linked to your CUIL tax ID; Mercado Pago meets that requirement.

Taxes and withholdings in CABA (figures as of September 2026)

| Item | Situation in CABA | |---|---| | National indirect tax on deposits | General rate of 5% on the net deposit, withheld by the operator and paid to ARCA [VERIFICAR] | | City withholding on winnings | Not confirmed [VERIFICAR]; the Provincia de Buenos Aires does withhold 2% since September 2026 | | Tax on the operator's revenue | Paid by the operator, not by you | | Bill to raise the national rate to 10% | Pending [VERIFICAR estado] |

The tax guide keeps every figure with its date and source.

Advertising, bonuses and responsible gambling in CABA

LOTBA regulates which promotions operators may offer and which warning messages their advertising must carry, and Resolución 271/2026 allows CABA's warnings to satisfy the national requirement if they meet the visibility and duration standards. [VERIFICAR] In practice, an operator's welcome or no-deposit bonus can have different terms on its CABA domain and on its Provincia domain; the guides to welcome bonuses and no-deposit bonuses explain this. LOTBA also runs a self-exclusion register covering every operator with a permit. [VERIFICAR cómo inscribirse] Helplines are listed on the responsible gambling page.

CABA and the Provincia de Buenos Aires: two markets, two licences

This is the most common confusion among players in the metropolitan area. The City and the Provincia are separate jurisdictions with separate regulators (LOTBA and the IPLyC, the Provincia de Buenos Aires lottery and casino institute). An operator with a LOTBA permit is authorised for City residents; for residents of Avellaneda, La Matanza or Tigre it needs an IPLyC licence, and it operates on a separate "pba." domain. Most large operators hold both and redirect you based on the address on your DNI. The Provincia de Buenos Aires page explains the provincial market; for the rest of the country, see the province-by-province guide.

How to deposit and withdraw at a CABA casino

Operators with a LOTBA permit accept pesos via Mercado Pago, CBU/CVU bank transfer, debit card and digital wallets. [VERIFICAR por casino] Withdrawals go to an account in your own name within hours or up to 2 business days. [VERIFICAR por casino] No authorised operator works through WhatsApp or asks for transfers to personal accounts; the guide to WhatsApp and Mercado Pago casinos explains how to spot that scam.

How to check a LOTBA licence in three steps

1. Go to the official LOTBA website [VERIFICAR URL] and find the list of authorised online gambling platforms.
2. Check that the brand name and the company match those of the casino, and that the domain ends in .bet.ar (or is the official .com.ar in the case of Casino Buenos Aires Online [VERIFICAR]).
3. Check that registration asks for your DNI and address. If it does not, it is not an operator with a permit.

The legal guide explains what protection a LOTBA permit gives you and what a site without a provincial licence does not.