Operator News
Argentina – Casino association criticises gaming policy in Buenos Aires
By Phil - 25 April 2019
The Association of Management and Maintenance Services for Casinos (AMS) has launched a new attack on Governor María Eugenia Vidal’s gaming policy in the province.
The criticism comes after a 48 hour strike in every casino in Buenos Aires over the Easter weekend. Earlier this month The Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos (IPLyC) informed gaming unions that the definitive closing date of the Mar de Ajó and Necochea casinos would take place on June 1st 2019.
Deputy Secretary of the AMS, Agustín Calamante, told local news portal Todo Provincial that there is “a lot of anger over the lack of dialogue” between unions and Vidal’s government. “Clearly there is no decision to reduce gaming, but put the money raised by gaming in the hands of some acquaintances,” he said.
“A while ago, Governor Vidal announced the closing of the casinos in the newspapers. The decision had not been communicated to the representative trade associations of this sector. At no time did we hold a dialogue on the subject. What’s more, two days before we heard of the news, we had met with the president of the lottery Matías Lanusse, who did not inform us of the situation, “the union leader said.
“They (the government) has constantly tried to cause a division within organisations and the reality is that they have not been able to do so. Luckily casinos have a history of struggle and very high union participation comes from the ’90s where a struggle took place when they wanted to privatise the casinos.
“The most worrying thing is that they closed the casino that operated in the Hotel Provincial and Valeria del Mar. The Hermitage, which is also closed, alongside the Tandil and Miramar casinos were part of a tender process that fell through as well. Today there is that uncertainty because we still do not have a person in charge of the tender for the slot machines.”
The union leader went onto say that a tender should have been held for the Mar de Ajó and Necochea casinos along similar lines as the other casinos throughout the province.
Tension between gaming unions and the government has been rising for some time due to the government’s new gaming policy. The government has not only decided to shut down a number of casinos in the province, but in December the legislature approved legislation that permits online gaming throughout Buenos Aires.
Caption: The Necochea casino
