Wire SOUTH AMERICA
Guatemala - Calls for Congress to Enact Laws The Minister of Economy, Antonio Malouf, has urged Congress to implement Law 4294 on Games of Chance saying that it would bring in foreign investment and provide a boost to the tourist industry. "Other countries have managed to have a tourist industry and rely on gambling and cities like the well-known Las Vegas,” Malouf said.
Malouf wants Congress to finally regulate gambling so that the country meets with much wider anti- money laundering standards via another bill: Bill 582. The Superintendency of Banks has argued that for Bill 582 to be effective casinos, video lotteries, bingo halls and games of chance must have a regulatory body. This is because casinos have been highlighted as vulnerable to money laundering by The Financial Action Task Force of Latin America (GAFILAT.) In its Mutual Evaluation Report in 2015 it stated that casinos and video lotteries were especially vulnerable as they were not regulated entities. Casinos were categorised as ‘high risk’ and new gaming regulations, which sought to prevent money- laundering and terrorist financing, needed to be monitored closely. In addition, GAFILAT stated that there were no measures in place that prevented criminals from owning a gaming establishment.
Legislators voted in favour of Law 4294 as far back as April 2011. In January 2014, the Economic Commission provided its assessment of the law, which was then modified further by the Superintendency of Banks. However, the bill became stalled in Congress. Alejandro Giammattei replaced former President Jimmy Morales as Head of State of Guatemala in January 2020, and as part of much wider economic reform he also announced that casino laws would be changed. In October 2020, the government put forward its anti-money laundering bill arguing that while similar bills were already in place they need to be updated.
Brazil - Pariplay Fusion adds Caleta portfolio Pariplay has boosted its offering for the LatAm market by adding Caleta Gaming’s full portfolio to its Fusion platform. The new partnership will see all of Caleta’s content added to Pariplay’s Fusion aggregation platform ahead of an imminent roll-out in regulated markets worldwide.
“With LatAm being a region that contains huge potential, it is vital to offer operators the widest possible selection of games for its players," said Jose Micallef, Business Development Director at Pariplay. “This deal with Caleta, an ambitious provider renowned for producing high-quality content with a strong focus on LatAm markets, fits in perfectly with our strategic goals and we look forward to achieving great things together.”
Colombia - Universal Soft integrates iSoftBet iSoftBet has grown its footprint in Latin America after partnering with Universal Soft. The provider, which is active throughout Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Panama and Brazil, will have access to iSoftBet’s full array of slots, including Gold Digger, Moriarty Megaways, and Wild Hammer Megaways. Universal Soft customers will soon be able to enjoy the supplier’s full aggregation offering featuring 8,000 games from over 70 providers.
P6 WIRE / PULSE / INSIGHT / REPORTS
Te appointment of a rapporteur by the Senate President is seen as a positive step in paving the way for casinos in resorts.
BRAZIL LAND-BASED CASINOS Integrated Resort Bill Gathers Momentum
Senator Vital do Rêgo has been appointed as rapporteur of a bill project that aims to legalise casinos in large scale resorts.
Te President of the house, Senator Rodrigo Pacheco, has appointed Veneziano Vital do Rêgo to draft Bill 4495/2020, which provides for the expansion of tourism in the country through the implementation of integrated resorts (IRs).
Te bill was originally put forward by Senator Irajá's in 2020. Bill 4495/2020 would allow for Integrated Resorts via a public tender with licences being valid for 35 years. Te bill caps a maximum of one resort per state and one in the Federal District. Unlike other bills which have been put forward in the past it is more specific in scope and addresses the benefits of integrated casinos in the wider context of tourism policy only and does not address any other forms of gambling. Te appointment of a rapporteur by the Senate President is seen as a positive step in paving the way for casinos in resorts.
If approved the physical space occupied by the casino should constitute a maximum of 10 per cent of the total area of the integrated resort. It also establishes that "it is up to the Union, exclusively, to grant, regulate and inspect the
services, the implantation and the operation of the activities of resorts integrated with casinos." In justifying the project last year, the senator said that the national tourism industry “has been suffering from the economic slowdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic and with numerous problems in the sector, such as the low visitation of international tourists, the lack of public investments and concerns about public security, the lack of resources for marketing and promotion campaigns, among others.”
Last year, senator Irajá informed Economy Minister Paulo Guedes that the arrival of integrated resorts, as proposed in his bill, had the potential to attract R$44bn, It could double the number of foreign tourists in five years from six million (today) to 12 million.
Te IR model has the backing of the current Minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado Neto and President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro came out in favour of legalising gambling in casinos during a meeting with Deputy Newton Cardoso Jr, President of the Tourism Commission of the Chamber of Deputies in August 2019.
Peru Betsson buys Inkabet to build market share
SW Nordic Limited, a subsidiary of Betsson, has signed an agreement to acquire Inkabet’s B2C online gambling business for US$25m.
Betsson will pay up to US$4m depending on the performance of Inkabet in reaching the agreed revenue and EBIT targets during the six months following the closing, together with a deferred payment of US$5m (out of which US$3m is payable on December 31, 2022 and US$2m is payable on December 31 2023 if no claims have arisen).
Inkabet was launched in 2012. Its revenue over the last 12 months as of June 2021 was US$25.2m and operating income (EBIT) US$8.8m. Te revenue growth was +146 per cent when compared to the preceding 12 month period.
“Trough this transaction, Betsson continues to build market share in the LatAm region, following the previous acquisitions of JDP Tech
Ltd, Suaposta and Colbet. Tis strengthens our position in a strategically important region where we have performed well and have big ambitions for the future,” commented Pontus Lindwall, CEO of Betsson AB, on the acquisition of Inkabet.
Completion of the transaction is expected to occur in 30 days from signing. Certain restructuring activities are also a condition for closing. Tere are around 30 sports betting outlets in Peru. Te majority offer both online and retail sports betting. Most are foreign companies.
Sports betting shops are currently permitted via municipal license and there is no specific authority that regulates them. Te private sector has the right to enter the market as long as the company adheres to Peru’s civil code and the terms of their license as granted to them by the municipal government.
Chile
Te Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SJC), Chile’s gaming regulator, has said that the three casinos, out of 26, that were able to operate in June generated revenues of CLP$1.38bn ($1.8m). Enjoy Antofagasta, Dreams Punta Arenas and Colchagua Casino were the only facilities allowed to reopen with each only open for an average of 19 days. Together they produced GGR of CLP$3.81bn, equating to 81.8 per cent of the revenue generated in June 2019 by the same properties. Attendance at the three casinos peaked at 36,642 during June, down 54.7 per cent compared to attendance in June 2019. Spend per head was up 45 per cent though at CLP$104,408. Enjoy Antofagasta generated GGR matching pre-pandemic levels, despite limitations on attendance and opening hours. It paid taxation of CLP$815.9m. Te next largest contributor was the Dreams Punta Arenas, in the region of Magellan, which was open for 17 days during the month.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128
