Buenos Aires bingo licenses would be extended until 2025

The government of Buenos Aires boosts the automatic renovation until 2025 of the licenses for the operation of the 46 bingo halls that operate in the province, with its corresponding slots, including 20 contracts that expire in 2021 and six that conclude before 2011.

The measure, planned in a draft of the bill written by the President of the Institute of Lotteries and Casinos of the Province, Luis Peluso, includes other eight new venues that would be authorized to be installed in any local council, no matter if they have a space of this characteristics or not. One of the chosen places would be La Plata.

The text authorizes the lottery to „unify the deadline of all the casino licenses, including new ones until 2025“.

He adds that: „the gambling halls that did not obtain the renovation of their licenses, as well as those that have obtained it, may demand the authority the renovation or extension planned within the six months in which the law came into force“.

Of the 46 casinos existing in the Province, 20 were renewed in 2006 for 15 years, concluding in 2021. Besides, in just six it finishes the tender in Scioli government Scioli: three in 2009, one in 2010 and two in 2011. The remaining slots and bingo licenses conclude in 2012 (one), 2013 (three), 2014 (eleven), 2015 (one) and 2016 (four).

The renovation of the licenses that concluded between 2006 and December 2007 was agreed after a hard dispute of Governor Felipe Solá, who intended to apply the criteria in all the tenders.

Solá original idea of renovating the licenses of the 46 gambling venues aimed licensees to pay an „extraordinary fee“ on top of the 34% paid to the slot collection- of USD 425,214,317, of which USD 127,861,648 should be paid in 2006 and the remaining USD 297,352,669 in 60 monthly installments.

This initiative did not succeed and just 20 licenses were renovated, which concluded between 2006 and 2007. Licensees agreed to pay an „extraordinary fee“ of USD 68,391,114) in cash and USD 159,083,678 in 60 installments, which is currently being paid.

Now, Scioli would try to apply the original criteria of Sola and renovate automatically all the licenses until 2025, as well as the ones of the eight new venues that also intends to create by law.

On top of proposing the renovation of the licenses and habilitate new gambling venues, the text that is circulating in the legislature authorizes temporary or permanent transfer of the casinos that operate in the province. It also eliminates some restrictions that limit the multiplication of this type of developments.

Another central point of the reform that Buenos Aires government will boost is the elimination of the limit in the number of venues that can be opened in each district. This way, the legal gaming offer may grow.

Besides, it authorizes the sportsbooks business. In this case, bets might be performed through machines installed in locals or via Internet.