LOTBA and Banco Ciudad Partner to Combat Money Laundering

The Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA) and Banco Ciudad have signed an agreement to strengthen efforts against money laundering and terrorism financing. This initiative aims to provide tools, training, and cooperation opportunities for financial crime prevention.

What Happened

The Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (LOTBA) announced its agreement with Banco Ciudad to bolster the fight against money laundering and the financing of terrorism (SBC Noticias). Jesús Mariano Acevedo, president of LOTBA, described this initiative as “fundamental” for accessing adequate tools, continuous training, and collaborative spaces (SBC Noticias). The signing ceremony for the agreement included several representatives: from LOTBA, President Jesús Mariano Acevedo, Compliance Officer Ezequiel Domínguez, General Secretary Eva Frontera, and Carolina Galtieri from the Unit for the Prevention of Money Laundering (UPLAFT); and from Banco Ciudad, Patricio Értola, Manager of Money Laundering Prevention, and Rubén Pilla, Coordinator of Public Relations (SBC Noticias).

The agreement establishes a framework for “technical and institutional cooperation,” enabling the exchange of experiences and the promotion of analytical criteria related to preventing financial crimes, according to LOTBA (SBC Noticias). Both institutions will collaborate with specialized bodies, including the Financial Information Unit (UIF), to “strengthen their capabilities for prevention, monitoring, and detection of suspicious operations” (SBC Noticias). Acevedo emphasized that in the face of increasingly complex criminal methods, suitable tools, ongoing training, and cooperation among various agencies are crucial to fortify prevention and detection mechanisms (SBC Noticias).

Key Details

• LOTBA and Banco Ciudad formalized an agreement to enhance their capacities in combating money laundering and terrorism financing, as reported by SBC Noticias on November 13, 2026.
• The agreement includes provisions for technical and institutional cooperation, facilitating the exchange of experiences and the development of analytical criteria for financial crime prevention (SBC Noticias).
• Both entities will work in coordination with specialized organizations, such as the Financial Information Unit (UIF), to improve their abilities in identifying and monitoring suspicious transactions (SBC Noticias).
• LOTBA is also conducting new virtual training for gaming agents, focusing on tools for preventing and detecting money laundering activities, according to the regulatory body (SBC Noticias).

Why It Matters

The collaboration between a gaming regulator like LOTBA and a financial institution such as Banco Ciudad highlights a growing recognition of the interconnectedness between different sectors in combating financial crime. Patricio Értola of Banco Ciudad noted that collaborative work between obligated subjects from distinct but closely linked activities, such as the financial system and the gaming industry, is essential for the early and coordinated detection of illicit maneuvers (SBC Noticias). This approach aims to bolster regulatory oversight and detection capabilities across Buenos Aires’s regulated gaming market.

In a related development, LOTBA’s president, Jesús Mariano Acevedo, commented on a proposed law in the province of Buenos Aires to prohibit online gambling, known as “Ley Lula.” Acevedo expressed disagreement with the prohibition, stating that it could aggravate the problem by pushing activity into unregulated markets (SBC Noticias). He highlighted the ability of regulators to supervise the legal market, control operators, and impose sanctions, contrasting this with the lack of oversight over an illegal market. Acevedo cited the Brazilian experience, where initial data reportedly showed an increase in illegal gambling after similar measures, arguing that prohibition alone does not necessarily resolve the issue (SBC Noticias).

What’s Next

LOTBA also stated that its institutional agenda includes ongoing exchange activities with other specialized organizations, such as the Financial Information Unit (UIF) and the Institute of Financial Aid for Social Action of Entre Ríos (IAFAS) (SBC Noticias).