Operator News
Argentina – Impetus building for landmark casino on Atlantic coast
By James - 7 March 2024
Mayor of the city of Necochea Arturo Rojas announced that he would be travelling to the capital city of Buenos Aires province La Plata with the aim of meeting with the president of the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos (IPLyC) Gonzalo Atanasof. Rojas said that he would try to obtain a permit for slot machines for the Necochea casino.
The announcement comes after Governor Axel Kicillof paid a visit to the district last week. Aware that the lack of a permit has become a hindrance to the arrival of private companies the governor said that the government intended to invest in the Casino Complex – one of the most iconic locations on the Atlantic Coast.
The Mayor called upon workers in the sector to formulate a unified request to bolster his presentation to the IPLyC. As a result he received Paulo Cesar Nielsen from the Casino Employees Association (Asociación de Empleados de Casino) as well as Fernando Hansen and Valeria López, representatives of the Casino Administration, Maintenance, and Service Union (Gremio de Administración, Maestranza y Servicios de Casino).
After the meeting Nielsen announced that “we are working together”, taking into account “what is beneficial for the society of Necochea to revitalize the Casino.”
In that regard, he revealed that “the most important request is for it to be tendered alone. We are in a context where the other venues are operating with slot machines under an extended tender, which makes no sense to do in Necochea because we don’t have the machines. What we urgently need is a tender to bring back the slot machines.”
Meanwhile Hansen spoke about the promise made by provincial authorities regarding the casino and warned: “First, it must be emphasized that we have been giving our full support to Axel Kicillof’s administration for some time now. We are confident in being able to resolve the tender issue, which depends purely and exclusively on a decision by the Governor of the province, who here, in our own city, expressed his commitment for this to be carried out promptly.
“The workers, the mayor, the local legislature, and, God willing, the Governor, will work in the same direction to finally generate this bidding process that would guarantee solving our conflict, which has been going on for quite a few years, and would guarantee for Necochea the continuity of gambling in the hands of the State, the arrival of private investment in a public space, a certain real estate development, and above all, the jobs of over 60 families, which in a city like ours is not a minor issue,” he said.
Last week Governor Kicillof expressed his commitment to reclaiming the Necochea Casino Complex. During a visit to the city, he held a press conference addressing the building’s status. Kicillof stated that he is not only committed to restoring the complex but is also familiar with the situation. He mentioned discussing the matter several times with Mayor Rojas.
The casino was closed down by the IPLyC and was temporarily housed in a nearby theatre in 2015 for urgent repairs as the building posed a safety risk. This was after two tourists fell from the railing of a balcony. It was the third time the casino has been shut down having also been shut down in 1988 and 1994. Part of the complex was burnt down in 2020.
