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Gabriel Regis, the Sixteenth District Judge in Administrative Matters, also ruled in favour of operating roulette and card games in casinos. MEXICO LEGISLATION
Slot Machine Ban Overturned
A federal judge has declared President López Obrador's slot ban decree as unconstitutional, granting three injunctions against the changes.
URUGUAY – The Ministry of Tourism (Mintur) has decided to extend the opening of bids until September 2, 2024, for the sale of the properties linked to the future casino in the city of Carmelo in the department of Colonia. This is conditioned on the construction, completion, and operational launch of a luxury hotel with a concession for the private operation of a casino.
Initially, the opening date for bids was set for the end of May, but Remo Monzeglio, Deputy Secretary of Mintur, told local daily El País that the date change is primarily due to "many inquiries" from various interested investor groups.
CHILE – Lawyer Carlos Baeza, advisor to Betsson, Betano, BetWarrior, Coolbet, Latamwin and 1xBet, says that the SCJ should be reformed as it is too political. Baeza claims that changes to the board could be made as part of the proposals now under consideration in the senate which is looking at changing Chile’s online gambling laws.
"This institutional design is quite outdated, more related to what happened in the early 1980s with privatisations. However, this entity, which is eminently political in Chile, has been changing globally...
“Now, superintendencies are regulatory agencies, collegiate and independent bodies, meaning they are autonomous and without this political burden," Baeza told local press.
Baeza also argued that the SCJ had failed to measure the size of the online gambling industry saying that its value is much higher than estimates of the Ministry of Finance which put it around USD 50m.
"From the Ministry of Finance, the importance of this industry at a global level has been underestimated. I believe they have looked down on us from every perspective. Firstly, due to the assumption that it is an illegal activity. And secondly, there is an underestimation of the impact on tax collection...
“We believe the authorities have a mistaken view of the industry. A couple of days ago, in an interview for a local media outlet, the founder of BetWarrior, a company sponsoring the Argentine national football team, commented that their contribution to the Argentine treasury in 2023 was USD 150m.
"If one makes a simple analogy based on the information from BetWarrior, the revenue figure would be much higher. Everything is an assumption. But, beyond the result, we have a feeling that the Ministry of Finance's estimate of the potential for tax revenue is very insufficient. The data we have is that there are more than 2,000 platforms in Chile," concluded the lawyer.
P14 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
A federal judge has declared unconstitutional the reform by which President Andrés Manuel López Obrador banned new casinos with slot machines. Additionally, he ruled that roulette and card games, which have never been authorised in these establishments, must be allowed.
Gabriel Regis, the Sixteenth District Judge in Administrative Matters, granted the first three injunctions against the changes to Te Betting and Raffles Law which dates back to 1947. Tese changes absolutely prohibit "number raffles," a euphemism for slot machines, and only authorise them to be maintained in the 444 casinos that were operating at the end of 2023, until their permits expire.
According to the judge, since 2016, the Supreme Court of Justice has clarified that the 1947 law does permit raffles, and this term applies to machines with symbols or numbers, whose results depend on chance rather than the player's skill.
By granting injunctions to 26 license-holding and casino-operating companies, led by Eventos Festivos de México, Operadora Megawin, and Operadora Lami, the judge - who handles most of the lawsuits on this issue - also argued that prohibiting these machines violates the right to free personal development of those who gamble on them.
Te magistrate also ruled in favour of operating roulette and card games in casinos. According to him, the former is entirely based on chance, so it can be considered a "raffle," while the latter are a mixture of chance and skill. Tese games have not been permitted in casinos since the passage of the 1947 act.
Furthermore, Regis declared unconstitutional the requirement to obtain a new permit from the Interior Ministry when relocating a casino, and the prohibition of maintaining slot machines when extending existing permits. Te government has already appealed the rulings, which currently have no effect.
Argentina Operators unite to report over 250 illegal sites
Lotteries and legal betting sites have launched a campaign and reported more than 250 illegal sites that allow minors to gamble.
Te Asociación de Loterías Estatales Argentinas (ALEA) and the Cámara Argentina de Salas de Casinos, Bingos y Anexos (CASCBA) have joined forces with the country's most important betting sites to raise awareness and announce that, on their platforms, “only adults play.” Consequently, they have reported 254 illegal online betting sites that allow minors to enter.
Although access to online gambling for minors is prohibited, there are hundreds of illegal betting sites that do not perform any type of control, allowing anyone to enter. Tis campaign, which will be launched alongside the Copa América, features prominent sports journalists and aims to highlight the differences between legal sites, which all end in
.bet.ar and do not allow minors
to enter, and illegal ones, which use international or dynamic domains to avoid controls.
In addition to the awareness campaign and the reports made by the state lotteries of each jurisdiction, CASCBA has filed a criminal complaint to block access to 254 illegal betting sites currently operating in Argentina without any control or authorisation.
ALEA and CASCBA are working to raise awareness so that banks, virtual wallets, media, and social networks stop promoting or facilitating access to these types of sites.
Among the sites that joined the awareness project, the Chamber of Casinos, Bingos, and Annexes thanked BetWarrior, Betano, Betsson, Bplay, Bet365, City Center Rosario, Casino Magic Neuquén, Lotería de Misiones, Casino Club, Casino Buenos Aires, and Betfun for their commitment.
Brazil
Te Rio de Janeiro State Lottery, Loterj, has once again extended the deadline for operators wishing to operate in the state. Operators have been granted another 60 days, starting from 14 of June to apply for a licence.
Interested companies can obtain a licence to operate sports betting and online games as provided for in current federal legislation, in Law No. 14,790/2023 signed on December 30, 2023, by the Brazilian President. Loterj established a fixed licence for the amount of R$5m, with licenses lasting up to five years in addition to a variable grant on the activity of five per cent per month of GGR.
Currently in operation are Apostou RJ, Bestbet, MarjoSports, RioJogos, and Pixbet. Other Brazilian, European, and North American companies are still in the process of accreditation including Caesars Sportsbook, Key Solution Gaming of Bet, Laguna, PNR, Purple & Green, and SDL Loterias.
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