The Stars Group has partnered Atlantica de Juegos, while William Hill will work with bingo hall operator ArgenBingo to secure a licence in the Province. Flutter Entertainment, the operator formerly known as Paddy Power Betfair, will work with also operator Bingo Pilar, and Intralot has paired off with casino operator BinBaires.
Finally Playtech has partnered Hotel Casino Tandil. Two local operators, currently without local partners - Biyemas and Slot Machines SA - have also registered their intention to apply for licences.
The seven will bid for one of the state’s 15-year licences, which covers online casino games including slots, sports betting, poker and betting on horse racing.
The foreign applicants will be expected to maintain a presence in the Province in order to be eligible for a licence, paying AR$5.5 million (US$ 123,767) to participate in the licensing process.
Foreign operators must also have a net worth of US$100 million or higher, while local operators must have generated sales of AR$250 million (US$ 5.6m) over the 2018 calendar year.
Successful applicants will then pay an AR$65 million (US$ 1.45m) fee for their 15-year licence, as well as paying a 25% tax on gross gaming revenue.
The capital province passed legislation to regulate online gambling in December 2018, with Governor María Eugenia Vidal then signing a regulatory decree to bring the regulations into law in April this year. The market will be regulated by the Buenos Aires Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos (IPLyC). Work on processing the applications will begin once the deadline of 11AM on June 25 passes.
Source: GMB / iGaming Business
