Such is the importance of Brazilian players in Uruguayan casinos that Enjoy Punta del Este itself has an office in São Paulo, from where regular charters depart to the tourist casino. This means that Uruguayan casinos would lose a significant percentage of their public if Brazil would decide to install its own legal gaming rooms.
Although in Uruguay they know of a certain rejection of President Jair Bolsonaro to the opening of casinos, they are not unaware that the idea has already been supported by the president of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, Rodrigo Maia, and the vice president of the republic, Hamilton Mourão , two important people in local politics.
“We must not be oblivious to the movements that are taking place in our neighboring countries, fundamentally in what refers to the legalization of gambling in Brazil. We should analyze the impact that it implies for us and generate policies to retain those players who mainly come from there and who visit our gaming establishments,” said Luis Gama, former head of the National Directorate of Lotteries and Quinielas de Uruguay (DNLQ).
In late 2019, several bills were introduced to regulate resort casinos in tourist areas of Brazil. One of them was the Bill 5783 of the deputy Afonso Motta, who argued that "half of the players in Uruguayan casinos are Brazilian." That is, gaming happens, and it is an undeniable reality, but the Brazilian State does not perceive the economic benefits, as the neighboring country does.
For Gama, the new administration must propose "a complementary and not a competition policy." In this sense, the expert stressed the importance of developing a collaborative work with the Brazilian Government to counter the direct consequences of the loss of players, especially VIPs.
"The new scenario will require a lot of effort not to provoke a decline in activity in those border and tourist places where the participation of the player from abroad is key to sustain the business," he explained.
The closure of casinos due to the coronavirus and the possible competition with Brazil reinforces the importance of the comprehensive development of protection policies for the gaming industry in Uruguay. Under Gama's command of more than eight years at the head of the DNLQ, the “regulatory framework that the activity required” has been implemented, he said.
Two new casino resorts
After a meeting with President Luis Lacalle Pou, Uruguay's Tourism Minister Germán Cardoso revealed the sector's plans to emerge from the serious financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Among the proposed measures, Cardoso will call to build two luxurious resort hotels in the seaside cities of Rocha and Canelones. The official clarified that these proposals will only begin to develop once this period of health, social and economic emergency is over.
The world tourism sector is one of the biggest affected by the slowdown in activities and there is still uncertainty about when and how local and international travel will restart. However, the Uruguayan Ministry already plans to encourage internal tourism as a first measure, while they will aim to attract Brazilian and Argentine tourists as a second point.
Under this objective, the draft call for tenders in Canelones is already being prepared and will be presented in the medium term. As indicated by the ministry, the hotel complex is likely to be installed on Atlántida beach, although other possibilities are not ruled out.
Source: GMB / SBC Noticias
