Paraguayan deputies request reports on the controls carried out by municipalities.
Paraguay.- With the intention of monitoring compliance with Law No. 6903/2022, which establishes protective measures for minors against the influence of slot machines, the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay approved a resolution requesting reports on the controls carried out by municipalities regarding the regulation enacted at the end of December last year. The document was presented by deputy Carlos Godoy (ANR-Caaguazú).
It is worth mentioning that Law No. 6903, enacted in 2022, prohibits the installation of electronic gambling games in public places where children and adolescents are present, such as: markets, grocery stores, hair salons, internet cafes, pharmacies, burger joints, on public roads, and in any business or commerce that is not dedicated to the gambling or casino industry.
The municipalities must specify whether they have already imposed fines on law violators and whether they proceeded to seize and destroy the machines. It should also be detailed whether any business was closed; if affirmative, it will be reported whether it is a temporary closure or a definitive closure with cancellation of the commercial license. The resolution was issued to all municipalities in the country and establishes 15 days for the submission of the documents.
See also: The project to eliminate the gambling monopoly in Paraguay and merge Conajzar with DNIT could be discussed next week
The slot machine law establishes the monitoring and control of slot machine revenue as a measure to trace the money, which is why, from this decree, municipalities must report to the National Gambling Commission (Conajzar) about all exclusive gambling businesses of electronic machines (except casinos) in their area and the fee they charge.
In an interview in February, Carlos Liseras, head of Conajzar, stated that there are approximately 150,000 machines operating illegally in the territory. This same year, the Ministry of Childhood and Adolescence (MINNA), the Public Ministry, and Conajzar formalized a cooperation agreement to strengthen protective measures for children and adolescents against the influence of slot machines.
