Last year The Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casino (IPLyC) in Buenos Aires received 14 proposals for legal online gaming operations in Argentina’s province. On the last day of 2020, the Institute approved only seven of them.
The process for the regulation of the online gaming in Buenos Aires was very long since it started in 2018. After a significant set back in August 2019, due to the complicated political situation in the country, at the end of the year 2020, the regulated gaming launch reached a turning point when the province’s gambling regulatory body announced the seven winning proposals for iGaming and digital wagering licenses.
Coalición Cívica ARI Requests to Access Details About the Process
The request was made because of the participation in the process of two particular figures. They are the investigated for corruption local businessmen Cristóbal López and the former president of football club Boca Juniors, Daniel Angelica. Both were banned to participate in the regime. Coalición Cívica ARI seeks information on how the licenses respect the current prohibition.
There is a certain strict condition for participating in the process of regulation and that is, each participant had to partner with an operator with local roots. Both Lopez and Angelici meet these terms, since the local businessman has connections with Binbaires SA and the former president with Atlántica de Juegos, associated with Intralot and Stars Interactive Limited.
The Technical Evaluation Commission rejected seven proposal. One of them came from the well-known Spanish operators Luckia and Codere and LatAm betting operator BetCris.
The remaining seven partnerships will be required to pay ARS65 million (approx. $773,000) for the opportunity to provide online gaming services in Buenos Aires.
On the subject of the operating model, the IT Manager of Buenos Aires city lottery, Sebastián Vivot recently stated that the approved companies will operate under permits and not licenses. Then he added that “Under the Buenos Aires City Constitution, the monopoly for the exploitation of gambling is reserved to the state. So, the Buenos Aires City Lottery (LOTBA, per Spanish acronym) on behalf of the state, is actually granting online permits and not licenses, which are granted under bidding processes in other Argentine provinces.”
The winning proposals belong to ArgenBingo BA and William Hill; Pasteko SA and Hillside Media Malta (bet365); Hotel Casino Tandil and Playtech Plc; Boldt SA and Cassava Enterprises Gibraltar (888 Holdings); Atlántica de Juegos y Stars Interactive Limited (Flutter Plc); Binbaires SA and Intralot SA; Casino de Victoria and Betsson Group. Those are all foreign and domestic partnerships that will participate in the launch of Buenos Aires’ founding online gaming market.
Source: “Buenos Aires lawmakers ask for more details on online gaming licenses”, Lucia Mourino, 7.01.2021