INFLUENCER MARKETING
Influencers and illegal gambling: Argentina’s criminal enforcement model RODRIGO BRANCA FINDS CRIMINAL SANCTIONS AND A NOVEL APPROACH TO RESTORATIVE JUSTICE IS HAVING AN IMPACT ON SOCIAL ROUTES TO MARKET
that more than 90 percent of online gambling activity occurs on unlicensed platforms 1 . The influencer, in this ecosystem, is not a peripheral actor; they are the primary gateway. Argentina's figures are not exceptional. An industry study estimated that, throughout the European Union, unregulated operators accounted for 71 percent of the online gambling market in 2024 (totaling approximately €80.6 billion in gross gaming revenue, with associated annual tax losses for EU member states valued at €20 billion) 2 . In the United States, the American Gaming Association estimates that illegal operators attract $673.6 billion in annual wagers, a volume
Introduction Illegal online gambling suffers from a visibility problem, and social media influencers are the solution. Across Latin America, unlicensed gambling platforms have discovered that the most effective way to reach new players is not through conventional advertising, but via influencers: individuals with large, loyal, and highly engaged followings who promote these platforms through posts, referral links, and bonus codes, directing their audiences seamlessly into the platform’s recruitment infrastructure. The scale of the resulting black market is striking; in Argentina, private estimates suggest
1 Tomas Enrique Garcia Botta, 'Argentina: could weak enforcement of the law endanger a regulated ecosystem?' IMGL Magazine Vol. 5 No. 3 (September 2025) 2 Luis Portela de Carvalho and Marta Botica Santos, ' Fighting the black market – the infinite game,' IMGL Magazine Vol. 6 No. 1 (March 2026)
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IMGL MAGAZINE | JUNE 2026
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