Interactive
Argentina – Betsson granted online licence in Cordoba
By James - 7 February 2023
Betsson, through subsidiaries, has been granted an online gaming license in the province of Cordoba in Argentina, which is the third license for the Group in Argentina. The new license, granted to Betsson and its partner Casino de Victoria, is one out of eight licenses that have been awarded by the local regulator Loteria de Cordoba according to a press release.
The cooperation between international online gaming operator Betsson and Casino de Victoria, a leading land-based operator in Argentina and part of Grupo Mautone, started back in 2019. The two companies joined forces to work on the applications for online gaming licenses in the Province of Buenos Aires and in the City of Buenos Aires, both of which have been granted and operations were launched during 2022.
Pontus Lindwall, President and CEO of Betsson AB, said: “We are very pleased to have received a license to operate in the locally regulated market in the province of Cordoba, together with our partner, Casino de Victoria. When merging their long experience in the Argentinean market with our know-how in online gaming, we can truly reach our ambition of becoming a market leader in this rapidly growing online market.”
The government passed rules that give online casinos and sports betting the green light in May 2022. In September the province preselected eight companies to operate online gaming. Both Argentine and foreign companies were invited to take part in the tender while The Córdoba Lottery will oversee online gaming.
The process though has been beset with delays as online gambling was supposed to be underway before the World Cup. However city ordinance 11,684 rules that gambling is illegal in the city limits. As a result the Municipality of Córdoba has emphasized that municipal regulations prevent online gambling from going forward, although they did not give further details nor issued any statements on the matter when consulted by local press.
In addition in December after filing a complaint with the courts of Córdoba, Councillor Juan Pablo Quinteros demanded that the mayor of the city of the provincial capital Martín Llaryora, finally cancel the law that would allow for online gambling throughout the province.
The councillor based his arguments on a regulation that prohibits gambling located within a radius of 20 kilometres from the central San Martín square, in the city of Córdoba.
