On this page
Mercado Pago in Argentine Casinos
On this page
The online gambling landscape in Argentina is super interesting to those not living in the country, as legislation here operates on a provincial level. The gambling industry in South America’s second-largest nation is as fragmented as Argentina itself, with interactive gaming regulated in some parts, and not in others. Hence, some Argentines have access to locally licensed platforms, while others can only explore foreign brands, which usually feature diverse payment options, but rarely domestic transaction solutions like Mercado Pago. This digital wallet and financial services provider is one of the most used ones in Argentina, and is a top choice for casino depositing. Continue reading this guide to learn about all it has to provide, and why it boasts the status it does at Argentine online casinos and in its native land overall.
Online Gambling Regulation in Argentina
Argentina’s introduction to gambling is usually connected with the arrival of the Spanish settlers. Naturally, games of chance probably existed here before this event, but dice and card ones did get brought over by the Spaniards, and they were a staple of colonial life here from the 16th to the 19th century, with Truco being especially liked.
That said, despite people inhabiting Argentinian soil enjoying card games in private salons for centuries, there were no attempts to regulate these pastimes until the late 1800s, when Lotería de Beneficencia Nacional gained total power over all forms of gambling in Argentina. This did not mean that everyone turned to regulated gambling from this point forward. No, the illegal kind still dominated.
In the mid-20th century, Argentina saw the rise of casinos in coastal cities, and in the 1970s, weekly football betting became a thing. The country’s constitution allows each of its provinces and Buenos Aires to regulate gambling as they desire. Yet, the Lotería Nacional was the organization in charge of overseeing all gambling games at a federal level. Once this body was sent into the annals of history through a Federal Decree, online gambling regulation began to bloom in Argentina.
Buenos Aires legalized it in late 2018, and in the following years, many provinces followed suit. At the time of writing, sixteen of the twenty-four autonomous regions, not counting Buenos Aires, have allowed online gambling, but each one has done so differently.
Brazil and Colombia, for years, stood as Latin America’s powerhouses and online gambling pioneers. They were the ones that set the trends in LatAm concerning Internet casino and betting fun. Post-2020, Argentina joined this too, as renowned providers like Evolution Gaming began offering their products in the country’s regulated markets.
Local regulators like LOTBA (Lotería de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires) monitor all forms of gambling in their jurisdictions, and they customarily function under the eye of local governments. What is fascinating about Argentina is that there has not been a massive push for a unified federal law regarding online gambling. Everyone seems to be happy with the way things are, in spite of the fact that the Buenos Aires Lottery Authority shut down access to more than two thousand international casino websites in 2025. Argentinians seem to overwhelmingly prefer these platforms to home-based ones, probably on account of their crypto acceptance, more attractive promotions, and far vaster game portfolios.
The acceptance of digital wallets at these sites is pretty standard, but the likelihood of finding one that has Mercado Pago in its payment arsenal is not great. The best use of this local payment choice is at Argentinian casino sites, so keep reading to discover why it is a good idea to go with this solution at such hubs.
Using Mercado Pago Across Argentine Online Casinos
Mercado Libre is one of Argentina’s most established companies, regardless of the sector. Its name translates to Free Market, and this Argentine entity is incorporated in the US, in Delaware, and has its headquarters are in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is a privately held fintech giant, which debuted Mercado Pago in 2003, four years after it was founded.
This is a digital wallet service that can be used in multiple Latin American countries, and in 2026, its user count stood at an impressive seventy-two million. According to the data, Gen Z members and Millennials love this method, comprising a large section of its user pool.
It is vital to highlight that Mercado Pago is not just a wallet; it is actually an app that offers a wide range of financial services, not limited to sending and receiving money, which can be done via Mercado Pago with the use of QR codes or email. This solution also has investment, savings account, insurance, and credit line features.
The primary appeal of this transaction choice for online gaming is that it supplies quick depositing, and allows the preloading of amounts meant for gambling entertainment. Its integration across online casinos in Argentina started in early 2020, and a couple of years later, famous brands like Bet365 brought it into its fold in regulated markets like Buenos Aires City and Buenos Aires Province.
The main problem with Mercado Pago for casino play is that it is seldom allowed for withdrawing. For depositing, players also like it because sites do not get their full personal bank data when they utilize this method. Consequently, gambling transfers can get kept away from a person’s main financial statement. Mercado Pago can get topped off at retail outlets using cash deposits, or it can be funded via bank and card transactions. To get started with it, all one must do is download the Mercado Pago app from Apple’s App Store or Google Play. Existing Mercado Libre customers do not even have to do this, as they can use Mercado Pago’s service through their Mercado Libre site account.
All Mercado Pago accounts have variable limits; for the use of the higher ones, this service allows identity verification. Now, after reading all that, if you are curious about using this app for a casino deposit, scroll down to the next subheading, where we go into how this is done, explaining just how simple this process is at Argentine online casinos with Mercado Pago.
Casinos for Players from Argentina that Offer Mercado Pago
Filter
More filters
Deposits and Withdrawals with Mercado Pago
Not all of Argentina’s provincial gambling operators offer Mercado Pago. This is most disappointing for loads of Argentine players, as many use this app all the time in everyday life. Though the number of Mercado Pago-accepting hubs is still quite good, which stems from the previously discussed fact that this solution is deeply integrated in the country, with many people using it for paying bills and general commerce, online and offline.
For online gambling with Mercado Pago, it isn’t enough to just pick a site that has this method in its Banking section. The one you choose to call your gaming home for however long should be of a specific high quality. That gets discovered by reading online reviews, learning which brands have strong reputations in the Internet gaming arena, which are usually the ones that always pay out on time, have great bonuses, and games. When you spot such a hub and complete its registration procedure, here are the steps necessary to fund your account there with Mercado Pago:
- Navigate to the Banking section, which can also get called the Payment or Cashier one, or Cajero at local sites. You can customarily reach this part of a gambling website through a top Deposit button or your profile options.
- When on the Banking section in your profile, find Mercado Pago in the Deposit tab. If you are using a domestic casino, it should be one of the first choices listed.
- After selecting Mercado Pago for depositing, in a new window, enter how much you wish to fund your balance by typing this figure in a designated field. Fixed amounts may also be provided.
- Relocate to the Mercado Pago app or site to confirm your transfer using a QR code, your password, or a biometric check that you have previously set.
- When the payment gets confirmed, wait a few seconds, then go back to your casino account, and check your balance there to see if everything processed successfully.
Even though Mercado Pago gets listed as a predominantly deposit-only solution, there can be legit sites that permit withdrawing through this service. Outgoing transfers from online casinos demand specific integration, many of which have to do with AML policy alignment, which is why this app often gets excluded from being featured in the withdrawal tab. Many operators do not want the regulatory risk of allowing it for this purpose, so they omit it.
If it is available for withdrawals, or if you have to select another payout alternative, the cash-out process remains very similar to the one we already ran through for depositing. Now, while account funding is super quick regardless of the payment option selected, this is not the case for withdrawing. Argentines prefer to use e-wallets that allow for withdrawing, as these are the fastest fiat payout methods, although even these wallets cannot match the speed of cryptocurrencies, which conduct withdrawals in seconds when distinct coins get used. Those are only available at offshore casinos or sites regulated in other countries, and choosing them may skip the identity verification that is mandatory for fiat solutions.
Conclusion
There are no two ways about it, Mercado Pago is a dominant payment app in Argentina, and it is a top choice in the country’s iGaming market. In recent years, it has been more and more marketed as the go-to depositing service for gaming, and it is heavily featured in provinces like Buenos Aires. It has all the state-of-the-art security features that more globally famous digital wallets list, and facilitates seamless and quick ARS transactions, with no extra fees, and without users having to share banking details with their casino. If that is you, then don’t think twice, try Mercado Pago at an Argentine-centric online casino today!
FAQs
Is online casino gambling allowed in Argentina?
Yes, it is. The country, like most in South America, has had a history with betting pastimes shaped by the colonial period, where most modern-style games of chance were introduced here. In the 2000s, Internet gambling became accessible in the country, but it was unregulated. Regulated gaming gained traction post-2018, following the dissolution of the Argentine National Lottery.
Can Argentine players access offshore online casinos?
Yes, they can. There are no penalties in place for those who decide that regulated casino sites in Argentina do not meet their preferences. In fact, per stats, more residents use international gaming hubs than domestic ones. This is not illegal, but provincial authorities advise against it, and you may encounter transaction blocks if you use banking payment methods at such websites.
Is Mercado Pago a popular payment method across licensed Argentine online casinos?
In general, this is quite a popular digital solution overall in Argentina. It gets accepted at many retail businesses, but some provincial monopolies or licensed operators still do not support it as a viable payment tool for gaming fun. Those that do rarely allow it for withdrawing, despite Mercado Pago having such capabilities.
Can I withdraw winnings using Mercado Pago at an online casino?
In most cases, you cannot, at least not directly, without linked transfers on select sites. As explained, this method has the infrastructure to receive payments, but is mainly a deposit-focused one when it comes to gambling due to anti-money laundering concerns. Many provincial regulators like to focus on bank and card methods, which are viewed as more direct, with their transfers being more easily traceable.
Why should I, as an Argentine, choose to use Mercado Pago for online gambling?
If you are familiar with this method, already have the app on your phone, or have an online Mercado Libre account, then yes. If you have found a good casino site that accepts it, there is no reason not to. It has quality fraud protection, 2FA, instant depositing, and you can control your spending by setting top-up limits for yourself with this method.