Buenos Aries prosecutor order shut down of Misionbet
News on 31 May 2017
News on 31 May 2017
Buenos Aries public prosecutor Martín Lampadú has ordered the closure of Argentinean state-run internet gaming operator misionbet.com.ar following a complaint by the National Lottery who claim Misionbet was targeting players in its Buenos Aries jurisdiction.
President of the Argentinean Institute of Provincial Lottery and Casinos (IPLYC), Eduardo Torres, said he was confident the site would be back in operation in short time while questioning the order based on the prosecutor and the National Lottery’s historical inaction against the “proliferation of clandestine betting through many other websites.”
IPLyC carried a press release from Misionbet advising of the temporary suspension and assuring customers that their funds are safe and bets would be refunded.
“There are billions of pesos that leave Buenos Aires through operators that do not contribute to the economy, but they act against the only website that belongs to a State lottery? That draws my attention,” Torres said.
The IPLyC revealed it had been negotiating with the National Lottery prior to the order and was surprised by the legal route it had chosen to take.
While communicating a willingness to continue negotiations, Torres warned that it would reciprocate with its own legal recourse against the National Lottery should no progress be apparent.
“We can also make a criminal complaint against the National Lottery – which we will do if this is not resolved – because they are in violation of jurisdictional policies by airing telephone draws on National TV programmes without provincial authorisation. That would be clandestine play and flies in the face of provincial lottery rules”.
Torres felt it necessary to clarify that Gaming jurisdictions and gaming oversight in Argentina lie with each individual province and are not run at a National level.
“What strikes us is the prosecutor never acted despite the IPLyC providing a list, a long time ago, featuring many illegal operators who are taking action from Buenos Aries,” Torres lamented. “We will pose these questions directly to him.”
