Zona de Azar Paraguay – Paraguay Postpones Debate on the Sports Betting Monopoly

Paraguay.- September 12, 2024 www.zonadeazar.com This week, the Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies once again favored the current state of the gaming and betting market by voting to postpone the debate for 90 days on the bill aimed at ending the monopoly in the sports betting sector. The debate had already been postponed in April for another 90 days.

The proposal seeks to amend six articles of Law N° 1.016/1997, which “establishes the legal framework for the operation of games of chance.”

“There are 212,000 Paraguayans without jobs. We have been studying this project for a year, sent it to committee, held public hearings. We hear that the government has a bill to end the monopoly on gambling, but they never send anything,” complained Deputy Vaesken, who was against the postponement.

He added: “This project only aims to remove the word exclusivity, so that this country can open its doors to investors. As the law stands, no one can come and invest in Paraguay. This bill could help President Santiago Peña create the 500,000 jobs he promised during his campaign.”

Paraguay: The Monopoly Debate

At the end of August, the Chamber of Deputies held a public hearing on the possibility of eliminating the industry monopoly. Lorena Rojas, president of the Association of Games of Chance Operators (Apoja), highlighted the need to approve the changes to prevent the monopoly from continuing and warned: “I guarantee that the private sector will rise. We have a National Constitution that tells us exclusivity cannot exist.”

Edited by: @_fonta www.zonadeazar.com