From the Paraguayan Association of Gambling Operators, the end of the monopoly was highlighted.
Paraguay.- The gaming industry in Paraguay celebrates the enactment of Law 7.438, which establishes a new Legal Regime for the Exploitation of Games of Chance.
Lorena Rojas, president of the Paraguayan Association of Gambling Operators (Apoja), spoke with 1020 AM and expressed her support for the new legislation: "The monopoly ended with this new law," Rojas said, adding: "Games now change in Paraguay."
Regarding the regulations, Rojas clarified that it must be formulated according to the spirit of the law so that it does not end up being a new monopoly and that all the details of the call for tenders are clearly understood. "The reality is that now the concession that was also the clamor we had with the lottery vendors is going to be granted; we worked together on this request for the end of the monopoly," she added in communication with the local radio.
It is worth remembering that one of the most relevant points of the law is the liberalization of the gambling market. It proposes eliminating existing monopolies, allowing greater competition and diversity of bidders, at the national, departmental, and municipal levels. From the new legislation, for lotteries and sports betting there will be up to three licenses per type of game. Until now, there was only one license authorized per mode.
Rojas highlighted the need to have legal security, apart from the monopoly, which ended with the new law. She said that once they (the awarded company) sign a contract with the State, they must make a flow based on that, and what they would not like is that after participating in the tender and winning it, the rules of the game change.
"We are happy. The reality is that the game changes in Paraguay. Not only with the issue of the end of the monopoly, but with the regulation of online gaming. Technology goes hand in hand associated with everything that the DNIT is managing," said the head of the union.
The integration of the Conajzar into the National Directorate of Tax Revenues (DNIT) will allow greater capacity to audit and sanction irregularities in the betting sector.
See also: For the Conacom, the modifications to the gaming law in Paraguay propose a more competitive regime
Regarding the new licenses, Carlos Liseras, president of the Conajzar in communication with 780AM, explained: "The law establishes that it must be by public tender the call for those who want to develop this activity" and added: "In the last days of January or the first days of February, we will be calling for the tender, in the lottery modality, because the license of the firm that is currently exploiting this type of game expires in November of this year." In this sense, he said that they will be publishing the specifications and conditions to be able to award the best three offers they receive.
Liseras acknowledged that the desmonopolization of the exploitation of gambling is a great advance, as currently only one company manages sports betting and another the lottery. In addition, he highlighted that, with the new law, one more will be incorporated that can exploit both modalities, in order to improve competition and energize the economy.
The case of sports betting is different since in the last tender, Daruma SAM (which operates under the brand Apostala), renewed its license until 2028. At that time, it competed with other companies such as BGaming, Gambling, and Play Tech. However, these were disqualified for allegedly not meeting the established requirements.
