Wire SOUTH AMERICA
Paraguay - Corruption case spawns change A judge has stated that all of the members of the Paraguayan Gaming Board (Conajzar) now face charges of fraud. Judge Humberto Otazú confirmed that charges had been brought against José Ortiz, member of the Ministry of Finance and President of the Gaming Board, Carmen Alonso, Head of the Directorate of Charity and Social Assistance (DIBEN) as well as a number of other high ranking officials.
The officials have been accused of breach of trust and the usurpation of public functions after irregularities had been discovered regarding both the licensing process for slot machines, reduced fees and the licensing of quiniela games.
In the complaint, the prosecutor draws attention to the 50 per cent reduction in the fee for gambling companies, which had led to losses for charitable organisation DIBEN. In addition, slot machines had been legalised in places where they were not allowed.
In March 2020, Conajzar extended the licence of company, Technologies Development of Paraguay SA (TDP), to run quiniela games until December 2020, even though its five year licence had come to an end. Questions were raised over TDP'S compliance with the payment of taxes, royalties and fees. TDP is owned by the son of the former President, Juan Carlos Wasmosy. In September 2020, the Senate approved an investigation into Conajzar’s licensing of quiniela. In its presentation, the prosecution argued that Conajzar awarded the quiniela licence to TDP despite the fact that it was in arrears of taxes at the end of 2019.
The prosecutor’s office also argued that Conajzar’s contract with local gaming company, iCrop, to permit slot machines outside of casinos and slot parlours was illegal as it broke Paraguay’s gaming laws of 1997. The announcement comes after growing controversy over the decision to allow slots outsides of designated gambling zones. According to the accusation, "the irregularity consisted in that the rights were transferred to a private company, when by law, it should come under the authority of the municipalities."
In July, senators argued Conajzar's contract with iCrop to permit slots outside of casinos and slot parlours had been a way of bypassing local gambling laws to legalise them.
Later in the same month, the Vice Minister of the State Tax Undersecretariat stated that the running of slots outside casinos should be controlled by the gaming board and the municipal governments in order to avoid irregularities. However, Conajzar hired iCrop directly and granted it the power to register, regulate and collect the fees. The company kept 76 per cent of the profits in return. In October, The Chamber of Deputies banned slots outside of government approved gambling locations, meaning an end to the concession agreement between the gaming board and iCrop.
P8 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Bolsanaro Rails Against Gambling - Again
President Jair Bolsonaro has reiterated his opposition to gambling by saying that games of chance "are not welcome in Brazil" and that he will veto the measure.
Tis is the third time since September that the Brazilian President has gone on record saying that he will use his veto.
BRAZIL LEGISLATION
President Jair Bolsonaro has reiterated his opposition to gambling by saying that games of chance "are not welcome in Brazil" and that he will veto the measure. Bolsonaro added that "there is a lot of infighting" around the issue.
"You have to talk about numbers. In Parliament, an urgency regime for this project was approved, if I'm not mistaken, with 300- something votes. It's a sign that, if I veto it here, as I said I would veto, it would be overthrown there. But it is a very big internal fight on the part of Parliament", he said in an interview with Rádio Viva FM.
He also said that he had been approached by lawmakers who wanted to sound him out on the issue.
“I have already been asked by some leaders about how I would behave if the project were approved. I said I would veto it. Tey are prepared; obviously, it depends on the strength of each one within Parliament, which is an independent power, to approve the project. Tey, as far as I know, are convinced that, after the veto, they have the power to overturn the veto. My position as Chief Executive is that gambling
Argentina Online gambling bill passes in Córdoba
Te Argentine province of Córdoba has approved an online gambling bill. Lawmakers passed the bill by 46 votes in favour, 17 against and one abstention. Te project was presented by legislators Orlando Arduh, Silvia Paleo, Darío Capitani, Raúl Recalde and Alberto Ambrosio, representatives of the opposition party Juntos por el Cambio. Te measure was approved by a large majority, as it also had the support of the ruling party in the province Hacemos por Córdoba. Te next step will be the regulation of the proposal by the Executive Power, although the ruling party is already believed to be in favour of the new measure.
If approved the bill will allow for online lotteries, casinos and sports betting by as many as ten operators who will vie for a licence via a tender. Licences will be valid for 15 years, and the Córdoba Lottery may expand the number of operators, if the market grows. Income generated by the newly regulated sector will be divided between a number of different government welfare programmes. Earlier in December, lawmaker Córdoba Orlando Arduh put forward the bill to regulate online gambling. New online rules would follow similar legislation now in place in the city and the province of Buenos Aires. Online gambling is already permitted in the provinces of Mendoza, Santa Fe, Corrientes, Chaco, Misiones, San Luis, Tucumán, Entre Ríos, La Pampa, Neuquén, Río Negro and Santa Cruz.
A group of lawmakers alongside the Catholic and evangelical churches had tried a last minute attempt to block the measure in Córdoba. In a letter the signatories expressed their “deep disagreement with the bill.” In a document delivered to the legislature they asked that the bill be withdrawn from the agenda "in order to give us all an adequate and in- depth debate."
is not welcome in Brazil,” he said. Tis is the third time since September that he has gone on record saying that he will use his veto. In September Bolsonaro told press that the measure would not have his support. In January he reiterated his position and stated that he was against gambling and that he would veto gambling laws now being developed in the House of Deputies. "My position is clear. From what I've seen, by the amount of votes and urgency, they can overturn a possible veto. I intend to veto the issue of games in Brazil,” he said.
Bolsonaro’s comments come as the bill is gaining momentum in the Chamber of Deputies. In December deputies approved the request to deal with bill PL 442/91, which legalises casino and other types of gambling in the country, as a matter of urgency. Te motion was passed after President of the Chamber of Deputies Arthur Lira held meetings and negotiated between the leaders of different political groups including the opposition. Lira announced that Gambling Bill PL 442/91 would be debated in the House of Deputies in February 2022. Legislators will be able to submit amendments to the bill before then.
Uruguay
Te new bill presented by the Uruguayan Ministry of Economy (MEF) to legalise online gambling could also open the door for Giuseppe Cipriani’s casino resort in Punta del Este. In talks with President Tabaré Vázquez, Cipriani is said to have expressed his interest in offering online gambling in addition to land-based gambling in the planned casino resort. Te San Rafael hotel in Punta del Este, has been closed since 2011, but was acquired by the Cipriani Group for more than US$40m in February 2018 after an agreement was signed by Giuseppe Cipriani. Te project, which is being overseen by New York architect Rafael Viñoly, will build a new San Rafael Hotel with 70 hotel rooms, 75 private apartments and the casino in its first phase.
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