Zona de Azar Argentina – Mendoza Online Gaming: A 5th Platform and Two More Under Review
Mendoza.- November 13, 2024 – www.zonadeazar.com The legal gambling business continues to grow in Mendoza, which keeps adding players to the multimillion-dollar gambling industry. To date, there are ten casinos established in various locations across the province, and in recent years, four online platforms have been added.
That’s not all: a fifth platform will soon begin operating, while the authorities of the Provincial Institute of Games and Casinos (IPJyC) are reviewing five bids to grant two new online licenses.
This is a battle among heavyweights, with well-known names that have a history – not always the best – in the industry. Some companies have had or are facing fiscal or legal issues in Mendoza, other provinces, and even in Chile.
Specifically, the following firms submitted bids in the tender:
- Nuevo Plaza Hotel Mendoza – Argenbingo – Operalogist
- KLP Enterprises – Casino Club
- New Star – Calimtech
- Slots Machines
- CasinoSoft
The most striking case in the process is the involvement of the only company with no prior experience in the gambling industry. This is Operalogist, which joined in a Temporary Union (UT) with Nuevo Plaza (which manages the Hyatt hotel and casino) and Argenbingo, which holds an online license to operate in the province of Buenos Aires, in partnership with the British company Will Hill.
The tender launched by IPJyC gives preference to offers involving service providers of slot machines in some of Mendoza’s ten physical casinos.
This is the main contribution from Nuevo Plaza, which holds 25% of the partnership, while Argenbingo (45%) brings its expertise as an online gaming operator. Operalogist, owning the remaining 30%, will handle the advertising, leveraging its strong connection with the América group.
“Advertising issuance is necessary to ensure the commercial success of the license exploitation whose award is being requested.
For this reason, Operalogist SA will contribute a diverse portfolio of media, which is conceived as a strategic alliance already formed and operating under the leadership of experts in the development and production of events and audiovisual content in our country: Mr. Daniel Eduardo Vila and Mr. Alejandro David Spinello.” This is how the company, led by Rafael Caronna and Oscar Valls, presented itself in the brochure highlighting its background.
Both held various positions in the Uno group. Additionally, Caronna is currently the owner of two radio stations, in Uspallata and Villavicencio, respectively.
This situation raised doubts about a potential incompatibility, as article 25 of telecommunications law 26.522 prohibits media license holders from being public concessionaires at the national, provincial, or municipal levels.
Official sources dismissed any irregularities because the law refers to state-owned companies providing public services, while online gambling is a commercial activity, despite being granted by the government.
Another partner in the UT, Nuevo Plaza Hotel Mendoza, is owned by Dreams, a company accused in Chile of collusion in casino operating license tenders held in 2020 and 2021.
The National Economic Prosecutor’s Office (FNE) in Chile fined Dreams 112.4 million dollars, and its CEO, Jaime Wilhelm, will have to pay around one million dollars. He is listed as vice president of Nuevo Plaza in official Mendoza records.
Another UT that submitted its bid is the one formed by KLP Enterprises and Casino Club. The first controls the hotel and casino in front of the Guaymallén shopping center and is owned by the Garfunkel family; the second is led by Ricardo Benedicto.
In 2016, KLP faced corporate issues that forced it to shut down its casino in Mendoza. It is currently listed as the fourth-largest debtor in Mendoza’s Tax Administration (ATM) for Gross Income taxes, although it has reached a payment plan for 184 million pesos.
Benedicto already has a strong presence in Mendoza’s gambling market: through Traylon, he operates the slot machines at the Godoy Cruz Casino Central and is also a partner in an already operational online gaming license in Mendoza (Betwarrior).
Luis Enrique Olivares, owner of New Star, joined in UT with the Spanish company Calimtech. He is a partner of the Kristich group (Fuente Mayor) in the largest super casino in San Martín, Mendoza.
In the past, through a company called “Zulu,” Olivares was a partner of Garfunkel at the Guaymallén casino. The alliance ended badly, with allegations of fund diversion and fraud, which were investigated.
New Star participated in the first tender for an online gaming license in Mendoza, but its offer was rejected. The Kristich family’s company had better luck and won a license in partnership with Boldt. The platform is Bplay.
The face of Slots Machines is Juan Marcelo Francisco Altieri, an important gambling businessman in San Luis, where he holds a near-monopoly. He also holds online gaming licenses in the neighboring province, Buenos Aires City, and Córdoba.
He also participated in the first licensing tender in Mendoza, without success. His platform is Jugadon.
The fifth bidder is the Cinderella of the tender. It is CasinoSoft, by Franco Salatino and Guido Ariel Amer. Founded in May 2023, it has no significant background in the market.
Edited by: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com
