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EL GOBIERNO DE NICARAGUA HA APROBADO UNAS reformas que transfieren el control sobre el sector del juego nicaragüense de manos del Ministerio de Turismo al Ministerio de Finanzas y la Unidad de Análisis Financiero (UAF). Según los legisladores, estas reformas implican que los casinos y los establecimientos de tragaperras se verán «forzados» a pagar impuestos sobre la base de sus beneficios reales.
CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT ESTÁ NEGOCIANDO CON los acreedores principales de su unidad de negocio más grande la reducción de 24 200 millones de dólares en la deuda a largo plazo de la compañía después de que un grupo de obligacionistas afirmara que la unidad de negocio más grande del operador de casinos está incumpliendo el pago de la deuda tras haberse comprometido a una garantía con los acreedores principales sin concederles derechos similares a ellos.
A PRINCIPIOS DE OCTUBRE, EL MINISTERIO DEL Interior de México suspendió las licencias de cuatro casinos de Ciudad de México en una importante operación donde partici- paron miembros del Ministerio del Interior y la policía local. Se identificaron dentro de la operación los siguientes establec- imientos: el Caliente Casino, Casino Emotion, Casino Life y el Palace Casino, todos ellos ubicados en diferentes barrios de la capital mexicana.
LA NUEVA LEGISLACIÓN SOBRE EL JUEGO DE MÉXICO podría permitir los casinos dentro de cruceros. Según las nor- mas actuales, los casinos alojados dentro de cruceros tienen prohibido abrir sus puertas a los pasajeros mientras están atracados en puertos mexicanos o mientras navegan en aguas de México salvo que reciban por adelantado el permiso del Ministerio del Interior.
LA COMISIÓN DEL JUEGO DE BÉLGICA ESTÁ intentando prohibir los sitios online que ofrecen apps de juego gratuitas para dispositivos móviles, y para ello ha añadido estos sitios a una propuesta de lista negra de operadores de juegos sociales. En opinión de la Comisión, estas apps orien- tadas al «juego por diversión», especialmente las que promo- cionan póquer y juegos de casino, hacen que sea extremada- mente difícil para el sector monitorizar la edad de los jugadores, lo que podría conducir a fenómenos de juego y adic- ción entre los menores de edad.
CON LA ADQUISICIÓN DE BETCOM LIMITED, EL GRUPO Gauselmann ha incorporado a bordo a otra empresa creativa británica de software para juegos. La colaboración con Betcom es otro paso importante en la expansión del Grupo Gauselmann dentro del mercado británico. Betcom Limited se ha labrado un nombre en los últimos años en el ámbito del dis- eño y el desarrollo de juegos, principalmente para el segmento británico de categoría C.
EN UN ESFUERZO POR IMPULSAR EL TURISMO, EL Gobierno húngaro está intentando obtener financiación de la UE para revitalizar un proyecto de casino que lleva largo tiempo archivado: el Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. El Gobierno desea expandir este importante sector económico con la ayuda de las subvenciones estructurales de la UE, y el asunto prioritario es el destacado Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, con 350 habitaciones y ubicado en un emplazamiento fronterizo entre Hungría, Austria y Eslovaquia.
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GOVERNMENT PASS GAMING REFORMS
The government of Nicaragua has passed a series of major gaming reforms that force locations to taxes on profits
Nicargua - Legislation
The Nicaraguan government has passed reforms which transfers control over the Nicaraguan gam- ing industry from the Ministry of Tourism to the Ministry of Finance and the Financial Analysis Unit (UAF). According to lawmakers, the reforms mean that casinos and slot parlours will be
“forced” to pay taxes based on their real profits after MPs unanimously approved an amendment to the Special Law for the Control and Regulation of Casinos and Gaming Rooms, or Act 766 as it is otherwise known.
Under new rules casinos and slot parlours will now come under the control of the Ministry of Finance, which will be aided by the Financial Analysis Unit, which is responsible for combating money laundering, along with the Tax Department of Nicaragua (DGI).
Congressman Wálmaro Gutierrez, Chairman of the Committee on Production, Economics and Budget of the National Assembly, welcomed the new reforms saying in the past that the industry had paid too little taxes to the state and from now on “will be forced to pay.”
However, concern continues to grow around ille- gal gambling which continues to rise in small businesses. There are still an estimated 11 thou- sand to 13 thousand unauthorised slot machines
located in pharmacies, markets, shops and bars in the country.
In Nicaragua there are currently 16 casinos, 750 slot parlours and around an estimated 13 thousand slot machines. Casinos generate around C$130 million tax a year. Under current rules slot par- lours which have up to 100 slot machines pay US$25 per month per machines. Those with 200 must pay US$35 per slot machine while those operating more than 300 slot machines must pay US$50 per month. The smallest slot parlour must house at least 10 slot machines while the largest must hold above 71 slot machines with each cate- gory falling into a separate tax category.
Changes to Nicaragua’s gaming laws, which were first passed in 2011, are necessary according to the government due to the fast rise of gaming in the country. Describing the gaming industry as an increasingly lucrative business, it was decided that the most appropriate institution to regulate the activity was the Ministry of Finance. The reforms also create a new “Casino Control Council” which together with the Ministry of Finance will be responsible for regulating all matters related to gaming in the future.
The Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar closes in Puerto Rico
PUERTO RICO Another casino has been forced to close leaving 53 people jobless after it was announced that the casino at the Embassy Suites Dorado del Mar Beach Resort in Puerto Rico would no longer be open for business.
Owned by the Hilton Hotel and Resorts chain, the closure is the third casino to close in the last five years on the island. According to a company press release, the company was forced to close the casino due to major changes in the local gaming industry.
“The gaming industry in Puerto Rico has changed significantly in recent years, affecting the suc- cess of well known casino opera- tions with a good reputation,” an official statement read. “This decision was taken after careful
and lengthy assessment, in order to ensure the continued competi- tiveness of the property and allow the hotel to continue to provide employment to members of the existing team.”
A spokesman for the hotel said that the management would work along with those casino employees affected, to help them find alternative employment possibly as staff in new positions with other hotels in the Hilton chain in Puerto Rico.
Local industry insiders have been warning for some time that the casino sector is in growing crisis and that another casino closure was imminent. In August the President of the Commission for the Development of the Tourism Industry in the House of Representatives, Ángel García Matos announced that a raft of
new games could soon be intro- duced into casinos so that casinos in Puerto Rico can remain com- petitive. The news, however, comes too late for the casino at the Embassy Suites and fears grow that more closures could be on the way.
The Ministry of Tourism has blamed the recent closures on the rise of illegal gaming. It is esti- mated that there are now 45,000 illegal slot machines located as attachments to small businesses with the government seeming unwilling or unable to act on the issue. In February 2013 the gov- ernment initiated an investiga- tion into illegal gaming after a number of casino closures including the closure of the land- mark El Conquistador casino which left 150 people jobless.
However, lawmakers are unable to agree with some calling for regulation of the growing slot parlour industry while others are arguing the case that they should be banned altogether.
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