T
he column was written by Daniel Bilotta —who describes the power dispute that is taking place
within the Partido Justicialista (PJ) at the national level— and ends with reference to the fact that “the Institute of Lotteries and Casinos of the Province of Buenos Aires will grant seven on-line gambling licenses next January in spite of the opposition of (the current Governor) Axel Kicillof.”
Based on the column, the licensing process, which has been suspended since the end of 2019 due
to the change of the national and provincial governments, would benefit several companies,
among others, Pasteko S.A.
“The law passed during the administration of (the ex-Governor María Eugenia) Vidal states that
companies are required to have an international partner with a proven background to be given a
license. Pasteko, which has partnered Hillside for that purpose, is the second pre-qualified
company looking to obtain a license,” describes Bilotta.
“The first is Argenbingo S.A., with Will Hill Limited. Argenbingo belongs to Nazareno Lacquanti, the
owner of Bingo Moreno. Bingo Pilar, which belongs to Ricardo Glassman and Alejandro Gravier,
will not obtain a license in spite of being third. As a result of the merger of Counterparty Service
Limited and Stars Interactive, they cannot have an international partner. The owners of Poker Star
gave priority to the agreement with Atlántica de Juegos S.A., which is in the sixth position”, he
adds.
The change favors the eighth candidate: the owner of Casino Victoria, Daniel Mautone. Moreover,
simultaneously, Binbaires S.A. and Intralot International Limited would be in the seventh position.
“From an estimated annual gross turnover of 600 million dollars, the province will collect 90
million in gross income and 60 million from a fee that shall be received by the Lottery,” closes the
journalist. By now, the authorities of the Institute of Lotteries and Casinos of the province of
Buenos Aires have not given any official statement in that regard.