16 influencers in Argentina are currently testifying as part of the ongoing huge investigation in Argentina regarding illegal gambling website promotion. The investigation was launched following a complaint from the Argentine Chamber of Casino Halls, Bingos and Annexes. And this has already led to a number of police raids, an arrest in a private neighborhood, confiscation of an equivalent of $255.000 in cash and cryptocurrencies. As well as blocking of 1835 websites that promoted illegal gambling.
Why Was the Investigation Started?
According to our sourcers, those involved were charged with alleged violation of article 301 bis of the Penal Code of Argentina, which penalizes those who exploit, manage, operate or organize any kinds of games of chance without proper licensing.
In short — the influencers were promoting online casinos that lacked proper Argentinian licenses. One of the casinos mentioned was “zeusoficial”. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that many subscribers were less than 18 years old, thus it was illegal to make them a target of any kind of casino promotion.
Who Was Involved?
Initially the list featured 14 online celebs and influencers, however, later the number rose to 16. And since the operation continues, new names might appear. So far those involved include:
1.Florencia Giannina Vigna
Born in 1994, Florencia Giannina Vigna, better known by her stage name Flor Vigna, is a famous Argentine actress, dancer, model, presenter and since 2021 — a singer. She started building her fame on the basis of participating in Argentinian reality shows “Combate” and “Bailando por un sueño”. In November 2024 she had a large community on Instagram with 5.500.000 followers.
2.Morena Rial
Born in 1999, Morena Rial is a mother of 2 kids and a local Argentinian influencer, who got some fame for being a daughter of Jorge Rial — a renown TV host and businessman. Currently she has 182.000 followers on Instagram, 51200 — on X (former Twitter) and 3060 — on Youtube.
3.María Florencia Peña
Born in 1974, Florencia Peña (or Flor Pena as she likes to call herself) is a famous Argentinian TV and theater actress, whose career started in 1983. With 17 awards acquired throughout her long standing career and her filmography featuring 13 movie titles, 32 theater plays and 40+ TV series, the main being “Casados con hijos” (2005-2006), she is the most famous influencer from the group. Currently she has 6.300.000 followers on Instagram.
4.Romina Uhrig
Romina (born in 1988) used to be a politician, serving as a national deputy for the province of Buenos Aires as a member of Unidad Ciudadana coalition in 2019-2021. However, she chose not to run for re-election. And instead took part in “Gran Hermano” (Argentinian version of the “Big Brother”) reality show in 2022 (coming 4th), which marked her career start as an influencer. Currently she has 1.600.000 followers on Instagram. As well as a small Youtube channel with 5450 subscribers.
5.Agostina Spinelli
Agostina used to be a police officer working in Buenos Aires. She started her influencer career by joining the “Gran Hermano” reality show as a competitor in the 2023/2024 season. Currently there are 564.000 followers on her Instagram.
6.Williams Lopez
Known for being the youngest participant of “Gran Hermano” reality show in 2023, although got evicted after just 22 days. 171.000 people followed him on Instagram in November 2024.
7.Traniela Campolieto
Known mainly for being the first transgender plane captain in Argentina and the whole South America, this 48 year old woman is also an athlete taking part in fitness competitions, and a personal trainer. She is very active on Instagram, where by November 2024 she has 143.000 followers and the numbers keep growing quickly.
8.L-Gante
Elian Ángel Valenzuela (born in 2000), better known by his stage name L-Gante, is an Argentinian rapper. But he also is an Argentine cumbia singer and even writes his own songs. He began his music career in 2015. And became popular in 2020 after releasing the “L-Gante Rkt” song in collaboration with Papu DJ. He further strengthened his popularity by reaching the top of the “Argentina TOP-100” chart with the song "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 38". Currently the artist has 5.600.000 followers in his Instagram, making him the second popular influencer in our list.
9.Juliana Scaglione
Also known as La Furia, which highlights her strong personality and temper, Juliana Scaglione (born in 1991) is famous for surviving 191 days in “Gran Hermano” 2023-2024 reality show. She is a sportswoman, fitness coach and entrepreneur who runs Fitness Freak Trainer enterprise. But nowadays she is also a singer and an actress. Currently there are 696.000 subscribers in her Instagram and 8000 in Tik-Tok.
10.Federico Farias
Also known as Manzana and Big Apple, Federico Farias is a musical artist. Like many others in our list, he also took part in the Argentinian version of “Gran Hermano” reality show in 2023-2024. He is popular on Instagram (1.200.000 followers), Youtube (385.000) and Twitch (239.000).
11.Emmanuel Vich
Born in 1992, Emmanuel Vich, also known as Emma, is a skilled stylist and hairdresser, as well as dancer and singer who has released his own album named “Emma Vich” in 2023. He also took part in the “Gran Hermano” reality show in 2023-2024. Currently there are 646.000 subscribers on his Instagram.
12.Mathias Nicolas Vasile
Born in 1997, Mathias Nicolas Vasile or Coker is a streamer on Twitch and Kick, as well as a sports enthusiast. In November 2024 he had 533.000 followers on Instagram.
13.Camila Lattanzio
Born in Ituzaingó, BA in 2001, Camila Lattanzio is a car-saleswoman and pianist. She began her rise to fame by taking part in the 10th season of Gran Hermano reality show. A couple unusual facts about herr is that she has a twin sister and that she has a pig named Thor as a pet. She has 669.000 subscribers on her Instagram.
14.Marito Laurens
A very unusual Argentinian influencer who became famous by being a butcher and giving various advice about purchasing meat. He owns a meat shop in the town of El Palomar, Greater Buenos Aires. Marito Laurens has 1.400.000 followers on Instagram and the same amount — оn TikTok.
15.Joaquín López
Born in 1997, Joaquin Lopez or Joaco Lopez is a famous Argentinian gaming streamer, commentator, sports enthusiast and Adidas brand ambassador. He started streaming in 2019, and the Coronavirus pandemic gave him a huge boost. Nowadays he promotes himself through multiple channels, most of them — quite popular: Instagram (1.400.000 followers), Youtube (1.250.000 subscribers), X.com (720.000 followers), TikTok (612.300 followers), Kick (10400 followers).
16.Alma Berezowski
Born in 2004, Alma Berezowski is a popularArgentinian Instagram and TikTok influencer, who started her rise to fame during the Covid-19 pandemic. She currently focuses on lifestyle photos, as well as promoting various brands. As of November 2024, she has 3.700.00 followers on Instagram and 11.300.000 followers on TikTok.
Conclusion
In the recents years casinos and influencers were engaged in quite fruitful cooperation. As it was a great way for the casinos to reach out to a wider audience without restrictions that they usually face when trying to use other marketing channels.
However, this may come to an end, as the Argentinian law enforcers turn their watchful eye towards this cooperation. The ongoing juridical process will surely make a lot of influencers in Argentina to abstain from online casino promotion. At least until it becomes clear how the law is applied regarding such cooperation.