The authorities confiscated gaming elements that were operating irregularly.
Paraguay.- The Municipality of Ciudad del Este carried out the inspection and seizure of slot machines that did not have the corresponding municipal authorization. The controls were conducted in the Santa Ana neighborhood, resulting in the seizure of five machines from three premises that lacked the proper authorization.
According to the authorities, the work will continue to intensify randomly, so owners are urged to approach the municipal offices to regularize their exploitation permits, according to current regulations. Notifications for regularization began in July this year; thus, the owners had enough time to update their documentation and avoid a fine of 20 minimum wages, in addition to the seizure of the machines.
The affected merchants must make the payment of the fee in the special regimes division, dependent on the revenue collection directorate, to be able to retrieve their machines. It is reminded that the licensing procedures must be carried out in person at the institution.
According to article 9 of ordinance 09/24, the fees collected from the exploitation of slot machines will be allocated to the local education council, according to calculations made by the administration and finance directorate of the Municipality. The ordinance also establishes strict prohibitions, such as the authorization of games directed at children and adolescents, thus ensuring that the regulation complies with ethical and legal standards.
With the aim of avoiding raids on illegal slot machines, Paraguayan legislators seek to tighten controls to prevent the proliferation of irregular machines. In this regard, with the intention of monitoring compliance with Law No. 6903/2022, which establishes measures to protect minors from the influences of slot machines, the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay approved a resolution requesting reports on the controls carried out by municipalities with respect to the regulation enacted at the end of December last year. The document was presented by deputy Carlos Godoy.
It should be mentioned that Law No. 6903, enacted in 2022, prohibits the installation of electronic gambling games in public places with the presence of children and adolescents, such as: markets, grocery stores, hair salons, internet rooms, 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 will also be necessary to detail 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: Illegal gambling in Paraguay: investigating a network that operated clandestinely in Caacupé
The slot machine law establishes the monitoring and control of the collection of slot machines as a measure to trace the money, which is why, from this decree, the municipalities must inform the National Commission of Gambling (Conajzar) about all the exclusive gambling businesses of electronic machines (except casinos) in their area and the fee they charge.
