Supplier News

Argentina – No new bingos or casinos in Buenos Aires Province

By Phil - 16 December 2015

The newly elected Governor of the province of Buenos Aires María Eugenia Vidal has told local press that she does not want to see any more gaming operations opening during her time as governor.

Vidal, who described the province as “broken” after being sworn in as governor last week due to the dire state of the government finances, said that tax income generated by the industry would not be used as a way to resolve the province’s financial difficulties and added that: “My objective is that gaming does not grow in the province.”

She went onto say that she would make sure that the government was paid what was owed to them by operators.

“We will work in every case to enforce the law” she said and that “those who are legally established by previous administrations pay what they have to pay.”
However, she ruled out any intervention against gambling halls already established in the province of Buenos Aires saying that it was difficult to revoke the actions of the government when licences had already been granted. When asked if there were plans to nationalise gaming she said that the government had yet to discuss the issue.

Her assurances that tax income generated by casinos would be not be used to solve the province’s problems were a direct attack on her predecessor Daniel Scioli. In 2012 Scioli renewed licences for bingo halls in the province for a period of up to 15 years, which affected 14 bingo halls: three of whose licences were set to expire in 2013, ten in 2014 and one in 2015. The decree allowed his administration to find emergency funding to pay bonuses for state workers which ultimately enabled the provincial Treasury to raise around US$328m extra.

The result of the Presidential elections in Argentina is likely to have a major impact on the industry. Opposition candidate Mauricio Macri won the presidential election beating rival Daniel Scioli in a closely contested Presidential race last month. Macri has vowed to introduce more pro-business policies. Crucially for the first time his Cambiemos (Let’s Change) party now holds power over the province of Buenos Aires, the City of Buenos Aires and the executive branch which could mean a more cohesive approach when it comes to gaming.