The decision for transformation was made by the government of Martín Llaryora. The opposition questioned the measure.
Argentina.- Through a "transformation edict," the executive of Córdoba, led by Governor Martín Llaryora, determined that the Córdoba Lottery will henceforth be a sole proprietorship corporation. The document was made public on Thursday, February 6, in the Official Gazette and follows a transformation record dated December 27, 2024.
In addition to regulating in-person and online gaming throughout the province, the Córdoba Lottery also operates the state lottery activity. Now, the agency will continue with its responsibilities to "establish casinos, bingo halls, and other gaming venues, and concurrent activities, the rules for their operation and their exploitation by itself or by third parties, through the granting of a total or partial concession, licenses, permits or another enabling title," but under a corporation.
In the statement, the government reported that it will be called "Lotería de la Provincia de Córdoba SAU" and will not change its operations headquarters for the next 99 years. It also noted that it will be in charge of "the organization, direction, administration, and exploitation of gambling and mutual betting and related activities."
The focus will be on lotteries, pools, casinos, raffles, tombolas, contribution bonds, and accessory activities, "related and concurrent that are directly related to the corporate purpose, all subject to the legal norms, in force on the matter."
Among the provisions, they also announce that the installation of casino rooms, and bingo with gaming machines can only be carried out in hotels located in areas of tourist interest, "as determined by the Executive Power, and at a radial distance greater than 20 kilometers from the San Martín square of the City of Córdoba."
The corporation will be allowed to associate with individuals or legal entities and enter into joint venture or participation contracts and establish temporary business unions. In this case, the associates will have to contribute a capital of AR$30m (USD28.429), representing 30,000 non-endorsable nominative ordinary shares of AR$1,000 (USD0.9) nominal value each, and will have the right to one vote per share. However, according to the document, all shares will be held by the provincial state.
Finally, it was also reported that David Urreta, current president of the Córdoba Lottery, was confirmed as the authority of the corporation, while the supervision will be in charge of a syndicate composed of three titular syndics and three alternate syndics, elected for a term of three years. The titulars will be Alejandro Telésforo Mosquera Martínez, Esteban Alexis Trucco, and Silvina Mabel Palacios Campetella.
From the opposition to the Córdoba government, led by radicalism, they maintained that this measure will prevent state control. From the block of legislators of the Civic Radical Union they recalled that they had denounced that "the government of Córdoba intended to close a new business with the Córdoba Lottery three years earlier with a suspicious tender."
In communication with the local media Cadena 3, the group of opposition legislators stated: "Once again the Llaryora government is concerned with creating more agencies that handle millions of dollars without any type of control, now it does so with the Córdoba Lottery, abruptly, without any type of consultation."
In that sense, they concluded: "Why now the rush for the Lottery to be a S.A. without any type of control? Will the tender continue...? We are not certain, but what we are sure of is that we will continue to denounce the irregular maneuvers until the last consequences of a government that is not transparent at all and that squanders the effort of all the people of Córdoba."
