Entre Ríos lottery moves into VLTs and online gaming with social‑funding model

IAFAS, the Instituto de Ayuda Financiera a la Acción Social, is rolling video lottery terminals and an external online concession into the Entre Ríos gaming mix, Carlos Moyano said at SiGMA North America 2026 in Mexico City. Moyano presented the province’s three-channel model, described how concession fees fund social programmes, and urged a coordinating body to tackle illegal operators in Argentina.

Three commercial channels

Moyano mapped IAFAS’s operations as three channels. The first is approximately 900 points of sale offering lottery bets, pre-printed tickets, jackpot games and house-banked games. The second comprises eight casinos and 20 gaming venues across the province, operated either directly by IAFAS or by concessionaires. The third is an online platform offering slots, casino games and sports betting; that platform is run under a concession model rather than in-house. The article notes that IAFAS used a concessionaire to handle advertising, revenue collection, customer acquisition and commercial operations while IAFAS supervises compliance and receives a concession fee. The term “online platform” links to the province’s casino channel online platform.

VLTs, younger players and concession detail

The lottery is leaning on video lottery terminals (VLTs) to reach a younger audience; Moyano said VLTs have worked better for that purpose than traditional tombola games. IAFAS’s concession model was described in detail: concessionaires manage commercial operations and IAFAS retains public ownership and supervises tender compliance. An IAFAS publication from 2022 shows that bplay, the Boldt brand referenced in recent ownership-change reporting, launched in the province through an IAFAS-branded site, though the current concessionaire is not named in the source. The reference to VLTs includes a link for B2B audiences VLTs.

Social funding and prevention programmes

Moyano traced the institute’s origin to a predecessor fund dating to 1933, with the current institute created in 1972 under Law 5.144. Proceeds and concession fees feed the provincial social-action programme that IAFAS is legally required to fund. Revenues now support security, sport, independent theatre and audiovisual projects, and a programme for homemakers offering support and benefits to women doing unpaid domestic work. The institute also finances prevention: a “Ludopatía” programme for problem gambling and “Jugando divertidamente,” which delivers in-person awareness sessions in schools and clubs on responsible use of technology. Moyano said,

“We have to offer responsible entertainment,” Moyano said.

Regulatory coordination plea

Speaking on the fragmented national map of 24 independent gambling jurisdictions, Moyano argued isolated provincial responses cannot defeat illegal operators. He urged creation of a coordinating body he called a “supranational state,” able to act "more quickly and immediately." He cited the regional debate in ALEA and recent coverage that included a Paraguay training session against illegal online gambling and Mendoza’s Ida López. Moyano’s remarks echoed comments by Buenos Aires province’s IPLyC president Gonzalo Atanasof after the 537-site block, who called for coordinated national policy and nationwide blocking through ENACOM.

Moyano said Argentina’s 24 independent gambling jurisdictions impede a unified response and proposed a supranational coordinating body.