Operator News
Paraguay – Paraguay’s municipalities to rule over slot licenses not Conajzar
By Phil - 25 April 2022
Mario Abdo Benítez, the President of Paraguay, has signed into law the bill to limit the installation of slot machines outside of casinos and slot halls, annulling at the same time the deal between regulator Conajzar had signed with route operator iCrop to manage slots in the country.
The bill bans slots outside slots of specially legalised gambling zones such as casinos and slot parlours. The bill aims to prevent access of minors to slot machines after slots began to appear in small businesses and shops.
Despite some opposition the bill was approved and will become law. It will have a major impact on how slots are regulated as it will affect the agreement between the Paraguayan Gaming Board (Conajzar) and slot operator iCrop. Crucially it will also give more authority to local municipal governments over how gambling is regulated as well.
Senator Hugo Richer emphasised that the new law means that: “The concessions and permits for the exploitation of electronic games of chance will be granted by the municipalities.”
This goes against Conajzar’s decision to delegate its powers to route operator iCrop so that slot machines are permitted to operate in any business in the country.
It addition it should also help put an end to a long running dispute over how slots are regulated. Conajzar had hired local route operator directly and granted it the power to register, regulate and collect the fees. The company kept 76 per cent of the business profits in return. There are around 23,000 slot machines now operating in different types of businesses. In July 2021 senators argued that Conajzar’s contract to permit slot machines outside of casinos and slot parlours via its agreement with iCrop had been a way of bypassing local gambling laws and legalizing them.
