Several countries in the Americas have adopted different approaches to regulating gambling advertising to protect minors, with varying degrees of stringency and scope. While some jurisdictions have specific rules on advertising, others focus on access restrictions or rely on regional regulation.
Key takeaways
- Several countries (Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and Peru) have rules aimed at preventing minors from accessing gambling platforms.
- Argentina has specific restrictions on gambling advertising targeting minors at both national and provincial levels, while the US lacks federal regulation and relies on state-level rules.
- Chile is considering new legislation to introduce stricter measures, including identity verification and responsible advertising obligations.
Why it matters: Divergent regulatory approaches create compliance challenges for operators and may result in inconsistent levels of protection for minors across the region. Ongoing legislative developments suggest a trend towards stricter controls, particularly in emerging online gambling markets.
Background/context: Regulation of gambling and related advertising has increasingly focused on protecting minors, especially with the expansion of online platforms. Countries have adopted different mechanisms, ranging from advertising restrictions to access controls such as age verification. However, the absence of harmonised rules across the region reflects differing policy goals and regulatory maturity.
Cullen International’s latest benchmark covers regulatory approaches to online gambling in selected countries in the Americas region.
Scope
Region: Americas
Countries covered: Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Mexico, US, Argentina, Chile, Peru
Policy area: Gambling / advertising / child protection
Last updated: March 2026
For more information and access to the full benchmark, please click on “Access the full content” - or on “Request access”, in case you are not subscribed to our Americas Media service.
See also our related Americas benchmarks on the protection of minors online:
more news
07 August 26
Global trends in data centres and cloud service providers
An updated Global Trends benchmark analyses policies and regulations of relevance for data centre and cloud service providers (CSPs) across 14 jurisdictions. It found there are different approaches worldwide on aspects such as licensing, ownership restrictions, cloud-related competition policies, cybersecurity and use of subsidies in the cloud sector.
04 August 26
Cross-border IoT data transfer rules across seven APAC markets
This new Cullen International benchmark analyses whether global IoT and M2M operating models can centralise data and platform functions outside the country where connected devices operate. It covers Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore and South Korea, assessing how data protection, telecommunications, cybersecurity and sector-specific regulation affect the feasibility of offshore operating models.
27 July 26
Spectrum policy adapts to support new network models in the Americas
Cullen International's latest Americas Spectrum Benchmarks compare regulatory approaches across the Americas for a range of topics, including 5G deployment, spectrum assignments, spectrum refarming and private networks.