Once again, Buenos Aires is in the limelight: this year, two trade events dedicated to the gambling sector will be held at the same time in this city, reminding a well known history for many of us, with the dispute that divided the industry in 2003 and 2004. Yogonet analyzes the phenomenon of the events in Buenos Aires, trying to explain something that is simply incomprehensible for many people.

The history everyone remembers, and, somehow, is also important in this occasion, is the one that took place in 2003 and 2004, when it was held an exhibition in Buenos Aires, competing with SAGSE for a place in the calendar of events in Latin America.

In that occasion, a series of Argentine companies initially gathered by Monografie created CAIJA (Argentine Chamber of the Games of Chance Industry), an entity that connects a big part of the manufacturers and national providers, and which supported SAGSE unconditionally, strengthening the important presence that this traditional event already had, both for Argentina and the whole region.

Years passed, and SAGSE achieved to positions itself as a big regional exhibition, and CAIJA grew in quantity of associates and in presence.

However, the history seems to repeat, and in 2008, once again, there is a new confrontation scene, in this case, between Monografie (leaded by Giorgio Gennari Litta, organizer of SAGSE in Buenos Aires and Panama) and the new management of CAIJA, currently leaded by Daniel Gallimberti.

According to sources of both parts, the difference is that CAIJA demanded, some time ago, more support from SAGSE to local manufacturers, because the exhibitors belonging to the chamber expected the Buenos Aires event offered better conditions to exhibit.

Both parties could not get to an agreement when talking about final numbers, and the Chamber decided to organize its own space, initially within SAGSE, in a parallel pavilion in the event. However, this idea could not be held, due to economic differences, and finally CAIJA decided to leave the exhibition, to open its own event in Parque Norte. This is, so far, just a difference that should not go too far, but, while days passed, things started to become more difficult.

The first obstacle had to do with the dates: ExpoCAIJA will be held in Parque Norte on October 13-15, the same date as SAGSE, which started the confrontation between the parties.

This decision was criticized by some people (understanding that it was a clear defiance towards SAGSE) and backed by others (who talked about the indifference of Monografie to their claims), but the truth is that the agenda was the starting point of a definitive distance between SAGSE and CAIJA.

The fact that the company that organizes SAGSE left the chamber was the second factor in this battle, and then, a series of open letters, statements, complaints, threatens with legal actions, confrontations and even a dispute with regards to the name of the chamber, made the situation even worse, getting to the current situation: irreconcilable relationships and a confrontation that is so open and frontal, that even exceeds the one we lived in Buenos Aires years ago.

Unfortunately, Yogonet was not able to offer a complete report of this dispute in a daily basis, due to the technical problems we have faced recently and which have been made public, but we could not stop commenting the novelties and showing our position on the matter.

Despite the fact that both parties have their reasons to defend their decisions, and the free will to carry out their policies in an independent way, this situation is full of a confrontation of interests that marred the performance of both events and spoils a top-level and international event in Buenos Aires, dividing the industry.

We have to wait and see if understanding finally reduces the differences (although today it seems impossible, due to the distance between both positions) and if domestic and international industry find in Buenos Aires, in the near future, a unique exhibiting space: plural, open, free, competitive, professional and intelligent.

It will benefit an economic sector that grows day after day, and, after a long way, it is positioned as a referent for Latin America. So it is important that the evolution of the conflict does not pass the natural limits, nor put national and international exhibitors as well as the media of communication in the middle of a „tug-o-war”, so the conflict does not polarizes definitely. There is just one industry, and the future and the business of each of its members should be considered in terms of freedom of choice.