Supplier News
Argentina – Floating casino project abandoned in Iguazu
By Phil - 16 November 2015
A boat which was going to be used as a floating casino in Iguazu as part of a major project to create a “mini Las Vegas” in the province remains anchored and in a state of disuse according to reports now emerging in the local press.
The operation to bring the boat to the province was undertaken by the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos of Misiones (IPLyC) and cost more than 250m pesos.
In 2013 plans for the new casino were officially unveiled after an agreement was reached between the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos, and officials. The plan was for a casino housing 52 five star category rooms over eight floors, a swimming pool and other entertainment facilities including a sauna and spar. Meanwhile the casino would have consisted of six gaming rooms while another hotel was to be constructed nearby on the harbour.
However, the casino immediately caused controversy and its arrival led to the Union of Maritime Workers to claim that only its members should be allowed to work on the boat. This in turn led to an increasingly acrimonious political row over the issue with claims that the protests had been staged by the former administration of the province to discredit the current government.
The floating casino was part of a much wider plan which would have seen a number of new casinos being given the go ahead in the northern province of Misiones, home to the world famous Iguazu Falls and one of the world’s most visited national parks. According to Eduardo Torres, President of the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos, a total of four casinos would be given the green light in the city of Iguazu which widely serves as a gateway to the falls.
