Supplier News
Uruguay – Uruguay records ten years of gaming growth
By Phil - 15 January 2014
According to the most recent figures released by the Uruguayan Board of Lotteries and Pools Betting (Dirección Nacional de Loterías y Quinielas) bets made on lotteries, pools betting casinos and slot parlours combined stood at US$900m in 2013 meaning that the gaming industry in Uruguay has now seen year on year growth for the last ten years.
Total bets on pools betting and lotteries reached US$412.2m in 2013 – an increase of 12.6 per cent compared to 2012. Instants reflected the highest growth rate recording bets of US$22.9m – up a very impressive 152.4 per cent compared to 2012 . Meanwhile, the most popular game run by the Uruguayan Board of Lotteries and Pools Betting is still pools betting which grossed a total of U.S$171.1m and grew by 9.9 per cent in 2013.
According to Director Luis Gama part of the reason for the growth of lottery gaming is that the number of draws have been reduced and there has been an increased focus on its core products. Meanwhile, the sharp rise in popularity of other games such as instants have been down to successful adverting campaigns.
“We had 43 lotteries in 2012 and 14 in 2013,” Mr Gama told local press. “The offer was lower but we recorded stronger results. By the middle of this year we expect to start operating lottery games online , which will mean that tickets can be bought from anywhere in the country.”
Casino and slot parlour gaming has also been on the rise. The Uruguayan Gaming Board, which controls casinos and slot parlours in Uruguay, recorded gross gaming revenues of around US$246.4m – an increase of six per cent. Meanwhile, slot machine parlours recorded a net income of U.S$39.6m – 12.6 per cent more than in 2012. According to the director of The Uruguayan Gaming Board, Javier Cha this is despite some negative developments such as the decrease of Argentine tourists due to currency control restrictions now in place in that country. However, Mr Cha did point out that a number of gaming rooms in major hotels have been refurbished around Uruguay helping boost revenues.
This rise in revenues in slot parlours and casinos is despite the fact that illegal gaming has been increasing in popularity in Uruguay over recent years. Although there are no official figures it is estimated that there are around 20,000 illegal slot machines in Uruguay which are located in shops and small businesses. Combined they generate around US$3.2m a week. While there have been a number of proposals to address the issue over the last two years the government is now drafting a bill which would establish a regulatory body which would register and monitor slot machines around the country as well as other types of gaming. Despite the rise of illegal gaming, casinos in Uruguay are posting good returns. 2012 also saw a number of new openings and was a record year with GGR surpassing US$100m.
