200,000 Brazilians Travel to Gamble
Te President of the Brazilian Institute of Gaming Magno José de Sousa Santos has told Congress that as many as 200,000 Brazilians leave the country in order to gamble in neighbouring countries each month
Institute of Gaming Director presents case for casinos before congress, describing the exodus of players and their taxes to neighbouring countries
BRAZIL CASINO LEGISLATION
Te President of the Brazilian Institute of Gaming Magno José de Sousa Santos has told Congress that as many as 200,000 Brazilians leave the country in order to gamble each month.
Speaking before the Special Committee in the House of Representatives, which is currently considering proposals in order to create a regulatory framework for gaming in Brazil, Mr. Sousa said that around 150,000 Brazilians travel a year to casinos in Las Vegas alone and that 70 per cent of players in casinos in Uruguay are Brazilian.
“Te lack of a regulatory framework in the area of gaming leads Brazilians to bet in casinos in South America, mainly in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay,” he said. “Travel agents in countries belonging to the Mercosur region bring Brazilians over to stay in hotels with casinos in these countries,” he said.
Mr. Souza said that Brazil is losing out on around R$17bn a year in gaming tax revenue and that the ban on gaming in Brazil has led to a significant increase in illegal gaming as well
Dominican Republic
Vermantia is going live with Juancito Sport, one of Dominican Republic’s most dominant betting operators.
Te agreement gives Juancito access to Vermantia CONNECT, and specifically an extensive portfolio of 12+ Virtual Games, which will be delivered across the operator’s retail network.
Te suite offers high quality virtual sports by Vermantia and its premium content partners Kiron Interactive, VSOFT and FLUID GAMES. Te initial rollout includes Horse Racing Roulette, a tailor-made virtual game created by Vermantia’s partnership with Kiron Interactive, combining Virtual Horse Racing and the traditional bet types of mini-roulette.
Te service is offered through Soll Systems’ central platform as a fully integrated end-to-end solution.
saying that illegal gambling amounts to around R$18.9bn, almost twice the amount generated by the legal sphere.
Te special commission tasked with drafting the regulatory framework for gaming in Brazil has heard from a wide number of experts over recent weeks. Last month the commission held a public hearing to hear the opinions of experts from abroad in order to more fully understand the operation of casinos and how gaming is regulated in other countries.
Impetus is growing for reform and new gaming legislation is being debated as part of “Brazil Agenda” a set of new rules put forward by the President of the Senate, Renan Calheiros – a business-friendly agenda which is designed to provide a much needed boost to economic growth. Casinos were first banned in 1946 by President Eurico Gaspar Dutra claiming they spread prostitution and encouraged the mafia and money laundering. Tis saw the immediate closure of around 70 casinos. Before the ban Brazilian casinos were some of the most famous in the world and generated a significant proportion of government finances.
Chile publishes details for Municipal Tender Process
Chile
Te Chilean Gaming Board (SJC) has published the requirements for the upcoming tender process for the municipal casino licences.
Te SJC’s Resolution Council lays down the minimum requirements for the new licences including a guaranteed minimum financial bid depending on the size and location of the new casino. Tis varies from US$526,000 (for the casino located in Puerto Natales) to a maximum of US$22.3m (for the casino located in Vina del Mar) in order to “foster greater competition” within the industry. In addition the SJC will take into account and welcome any additional
projects connected to the casino which will improve tourist infrastructure.
Te new tender process could help raise tax income generated for the state by the new casinos by as much as 46 per cent on average while gross gaming income (which will be divided equally between the municipality and the state where the casino is located) will increase by 20 per cent.
Te SJC’s Resolution Council confirmed that the casinos in Arica, Iquique and Vina del Mar will continue to be housed in the municipal buildings which are already built and intended for this purpose but operators will be permitted to renovate and expand upon these properties. Te seven new licences are available after President Michelle Bachelet signed into law new regulations, which extend the licenses of the seven municipal casinos in Chile.
SOUTH AMERICA
URUGUAY – The Uruguayan Finance Committee in the House of Representatives is set to approve a major new gaming law. It aims to establish a ‘comprehensive framework’ bringing major changes in how the industry is regulated and organised by the state in the future. The bill also reinforces the state monopoly over casinos, horse racing, lotteries and sports betting as well as online gaming. In addition the new bill will create a new office which will be responsible for monitoring the industry and for enforcing bans as well as imposing fines and sanctions on those found to be breaking the law.
According to the draft of the new law it will “reorganise the institutions and clearly distinguish the regulatory function, control and supervision over the direct operation of gaming by the state.”
If passed the new law will put an end to many years of stalemate when it comes to gaming. During the first Vázquez administration (2005-2010), the Executive sent a bill to parliament banning slot machines in shops and established a restrictive policy on gambling. This project became stalled in the legislature. Then the administration of José Mujica (2010-2015) put forward regulation which would allow slots in neighbourhood shops with three slot machines being permitted per establishment with provisions in place that they could not be in close proximity to school, colleges and sports centres. However this bill failed to gather enough support.
Crucially, the bill seeks to put an end to the controversy over the legality of slot machines in unauthorised establishments. According to official data, throughout the country there are approximately 20,000 slots located in shops, bars, kiosks and sports clubs. On average per month each of these machines collect between US$15-20,000 and do not pay taxes. The rise in illegal gambling has meant that the new law has for the first time gained a wide level of consensus amongst lawmakers who have become increasingly concerned over the spread of illegal gaming. In addition it could have wide ranging consequences for the online sector as the bill also states that all online gambling which is not run and administered by the state, will be banned.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – The casino market could see a significant boost in the Dominican Republic with the announcement that Grupo Globalia is looking to invest further in the market. Owner Juan José Hidalgo has created Riverbound Investment to invest in casinos as part of hotels which are already owned by the company and its partners. It will also look for other opportunities in standalone casinos on the island and casinos not currently owned by the group.
The company is looking to gain a significant market share as it seeks to expand. The company runs casinos in its Be Live hotels as well as the only stand alone casino on the island: the Dominicus. Globalia is Spain’s leading tourist group and Globalia’s investments in the Dominican Republic stand at more than US$450m. The Dominican Republic already has over 30 casinos, more than any other country in the Caribbean.
NEWSWIRE / INTERACTIVE /
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