Random operations are carried out within the framework of current municipal and national regulations to eradicate illegal devices.
Paraguay.- The Municipality of Ciudad del Este, within the framework of the implementation of the ordinance 09/24 of the Municipal Council and as part of the regularization of the operation of slot machines following the promulgation of the Law 6903/2022, resumed this week the operations to seize devices that do not comply with current regulations.
According to authorities, machines that do not have the required QR code of authorization will be seized. Controls will continue to be carried out randomly, making it imperative for owners of such machines to regularize their situation.
In July of last year, all those affected were notified, giving them enough time to regularize their activities, avoiding fines and penalties that exceed 20 minimum wages. To recover the seized machines, merchants must process the authorization and QR, after paying the corresponding fine in the Special Regimes section, dependent on the Revenue Collection Directorate.
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The main requirements established in Ordinance 09/24, approved last August, are the possession of a commercial patent and the payment of a monthly fee for each machine at the municipal institution's box office (equivalent to 1 monthly wage per machine), which will then be distributed 30 percent to the municipalities affected by the games; 30 percent to the departmental governments where the games were implemented; 30 percent to DIBEN; and 10 percent to the National Treasury.
Furthermore, another requirement established is that the premises cannot be located less than 500 meters from educational institutions. Moreover, the ordinance stipulates that the machines must be located in spaces previously authorized by the institution and not be exposed to the public on the street.
The notification process to the owners of the businesses that have these machines will allow to control and sanction those who do not comply with the new regulations, whose main objective is to ensure compliance with the established provisions that seek to protect the community.
The responsibility for control, compliance, and oversight of this ordinance falls on the Municipal Tax Oversight. Machines operating in violation of current regulations will be seized. This control will also extend to the sale of vehicle raffle tickets, whose marketing is also prohibited in case of involving minors.
A study conducted nationwide by the State Attorney General's Office and published in February of last year estimated that there are 150,000 machines operating illegally and, according to statements by the head of the National Commission of Chance Games (Conajzar), Carlos Liseras, to the local media Diario Vanguardia, it is estimated that 40 percent (60,000) of them are in Alto Paraná, mainly in Ciudad del Este.
