Supplier News
Argentina – Protestors occupy San Isidro racetrack over job cuts
By Phil - 19 March 2014
The Argentine Jockey Club was forced to suspend races in the racetrack in San Isidro after the track was overrun by union members at last Wednesday’s race meeting.
Members of the Association of Racetrack and Betting Agency Personnel (APHARA) boycotted the races in protests of possible job cuts after the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos announced that lottery outlets would now accept bets made on the outcome of races in the tracks of San Isidro, Palermo and La Plata in the province of Buenos Aires and the capital. In the past lottery outlets in the city of Buenos Aires only accepted bets on races at the San Isidro and El Bosque racetrack.
In response head of the Lottery Jorge Rodríguez, expressed his most energetic rejection of the action and appealed to the head of the union to act more responsibly in the future. In a strongly worded statement he said that it was: “Essential that this time solutions to disputes that may arise in the equestrian activity as a whole should be resolved within the framework of understanding, dialogue and solidarity alongside the other components which make up the sector.”
The track was invaded by around eighty union members after the first race. The meeting was then delayed for another hour before the next race could be staged. The union had earlier expressed their concern over the possibility of job losses after a number of openings of Turfitos and Pingazos shops were suspended.
Turfito, which was first given the go ahead by the Buenos Aires Lottery in 2002, allows customers to make a bet on horse racing in lottery outlets in the capital. In 2004 The Lottery also launched Pingazo which allows customers to bet on the outcome
of the races run in The San Isidro and La Plata racetrack in the province of Buenos Aires. There are around 400 Turfito outlets in the capital and around 300 Pingazo electronic sales points based in Lottery outlets in the province of Buenos Aires.
According to the statement released by the union the suspension of new openings will lead not only to job losses but will increase illegal gambling leading to “unfair competition when it comes to betting outlets.” Stating that the racing authorities had to provide guarantees for workers the statement also alerted workers as well as the betting public that the betting authorities had not been paying heed to their warnings for some time and that: “no authority seems to give importance to the fact that equestrian activity is impaired on a daily basis” due to the rise in illegal gaming. They also warned that the racetrack in San Isidro was facing an “unprecedented crisis” due to falling visitor numbers.
