New project to nationalize gaming in the Province of Buenos Aires boosted

The information released by several national media points that this position would be held by the legislators that act en masse from the governing party and which got the regional government into a mess with different issues.

About the project, representative Mario Caputo explained: “I believe the gambling issue in the Province of Buenos Aires requires a deeper debate. When there are extraordinary measures or extreme situations they always turn to this issue: and I think we need to do a more important analysis and that we have to think about the possible nationalization of gaming in the province; debate must not be avoided and, if it is convenient for the state, we could make progress on this issue,” states the representative.

"From the Chamber of Representatives of the Province of Buenos Aires, it is essential to revise the whole system to bring the regional government a legal instrument that enables to take the most of the resources generated by the games of chance,“ he pointed.

Caputo considers that, if the National Government managed to deep into the background, such as the nationalization of oil company YPF or the Pension and Retirement Plan Administrator (AFJP), a measure like this can also be boosted in the gaming sector in the Province of Buenos Aires. 

Other positions
Some days ago, representative Walter Martello and senator María Isabel Gainza, from political party Coalición Cívica, presented an initiative that proposes the modification of the taxes paid by bingo operators; they would pay us$ 731,319,661 instead of the us$ 379,254,871 paid at present.

One of the points proposed by the Coalición Cívica is that the 70% of the gross profits produced by slots are allocated to the Treasury of the Province. Besides, the tax system would change, and slots installed in bingo halls would also be taxed by local governments, according to article third of the project. 

According to the President of Lotteries and Casinos of the Province, Jorge Rodríguez, the fee of the 34% of the income set by bingo halls in Buenos Aires is the highest of the country, followed by the provinces of Córdoba and Entre Ríos with the 31%.

“We are open to listen to overcoming ideas in order to increment the resources, but we think we cannot speak about nationalization without considering the huge complexity of the gaming system,” he said, when being consulted about the projects that boost to increment the obligations of businessmen of the gaming sector and do not discard nationalization.

Representative Guido Lorenzino, close to Governor of Buenos Aires, Daniel Scioli, was more emphatic: “Those projects just seek to gain more prominence. The nationalization of gaming does not have similar experiences in Latin America, and it is not a topic considered. Nationalization cannot be performed; it is not like Las Vegas. The operation of machines is granted to private operators and I think it should continue like this”, the representative pointed.