“We believe gaming should be state-owned”

“Part of the executive committee met with the Vice Governor of the Province of Buenos Aires, Gabriel Mariotto, in order to address the debate that was installed in the society about gaming. It was agreed to gather together Mar del Plata on a date to be confirmed, that could be September 12, to talk about gaming and the state's role on this issue.”

Regarding how the meeting was arranged, he said: "Someone called us on behalf of Mariotto to see if we could contribute in somw way on this issue. And as we’ve been related to the gaming activity for a long time, we said yes. We believe gaming should be state-owned."

On the other hand, he made ​​it clear that this does not mean that gaming is going to be state owned immediately. “The nationalization will be discussed and any conclusions will be carried to politicians. We have our point of view, but we have no connection with private bingos," he said.

AMS took the opportunity to pursue an old claim: the opening of new gaming facilities and relocation of others. "The last casino that opened is the one in Tigre, in 1999. The other casinos were very small. In Mar del Plata, the Hermitage casino had been operating for years, as well as the one located athe Provincial Hotel. We demand the opening of a casino as important as the one in Tigre, controlled by the state. The province, as casino manager, has the possibility of moving some venues that eventually have been in places where they are condemned to work only for two or three months during the summer, such as casinos in Pinamar and Valeria del Mar, which are 10 miles away from each other," Paez said.

Finally, he referred to the possibility of provincial government taking over casinos. "The nationalization means that all companies that today have some areas of the casino concession automatically have to go. The full nationalization means that the provincial government would handle everything, including slot machines. And it is able to do it," he concluded.