Casino de Tandil Proceeds with Reopening Plan in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina’s Online Gaming to Expand

Argentina’s Casino de Tandil is moving forward in its effort to resume operations, which will make it the first gaming venue in Buenos Aires province to reopen since closing because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The gaming venue has developed a reopening plan that is based on guidelines from the nation’s Integrated Health System (SIS), SBC Americas reported. Under the reopening proposal, allowed games will be limited to slot machines. They will be situated two meters apart from each other on the casino floor.

The plan will also ban players from the gaming floor if they are over 60 years of age, G3 Newsletter reported.

The reopening plan still needs approval from the Provincial Institute of Lotteries and Casinos (IPLyC) of Buenos Aires before Casino de Tandil can reopen its doors to players.

Elsewhere in Latin America, is still in the early stages of debating whether to set up casinos. A recent legislative proposal would allow for casino resorts to open in the largest state among all of Brazil’s 26 states. If operational, Amazonas’ casinos could become a model for possible gambling expansion elsewhere in the nation.

The gaming property’s closure led to financial challenges for casino workers. Juan Pablo Ibanez, a member of the Casino Workers Union, told La Voz de Tandil, a local newspaper, that employees were getting paid 50 percent of their regular salaries while out of work.

“It was too difficult for a long time, the casino workers are going through a complex situation, the pandemic just exposed it,” Ibanez told the newspaper.

Last month, gaming workers in the province joined with the Association of State Workers (ATE) in a campaign to get the region’s gaming venues reopened.

Buenos Aires province and the government of Argentina rely on a portion of casino gross gaming revenue to fund key programs. Some gaming revenue is divided among the Ministry of Security, Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Social Development, the news report said.

Earlier this month, Gaming Innovation Group (GiG), signed an initial agreement with Grupo Slots, a gaming and entertainment business based in San Luis, Argentina. The deal means GiG can set up online gaming in the city of Buenos Aires, GiG said in a company statement.

Grupo Slots operates bingo halls, casinos, and a lottery in Argentina. It also runs Jugadon.com, an online gaming website. The company additionally operates convention centers, hotels, and restaurants.

Online gambling in Argentina is regulated on the provincial level. Licenses for Grupo Slots in the city of Buenos Aires are likely to be the largest market in Argentina, GiG said in the company statement.

The total gambling market in Argentina is estimated to be worth $415 million, GiG said. Just 7 percent of the total market is from online operations, so there is significant growth potential in the online gaming sector, the company adds.