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Argentina – Plans to monitor slots online in Buenos Aires

By - 24 April 2014

With controversy continuing to grow around gaming in Argentina’s capital, lawmakers are pushing for more control over the sector via the connection of all slot machines in Buenos Aires to a government centrally controlled server.

Members of the Frente Amplio-UNEN (United) party have called for stricter control and the proposals were initially put forward last month by legislator Inés Gorbea and are now being discussed in the Commission of Economic Development.

She said: “The idea is to create a system of control online. The Institute of City Gaming should have terminals that provide access to this information. The deputies of the PRO party (the right wing party led by city mayor Mauricio Macri) have to go along with this project. We have to see if there is a will to control to control the industry and be part of a modern state.”

The issue of gaming in Buenos Aires is becoming increasingly acrimonious with controversy revolving around how slot machines should be taxed and whether it should be the federal government or the autonomous city of Buenos Aires who should receive the lion’s share of gaming tax revenue.

City Mayor Mauricio Macri has made a number of attempts

in the past to increase gaming tax revenue from gaming. While the city of Buenos Aires has been autonomous since 1994 it is the National Lottery Commission which has control over gaming. While a 2007 Supreme Court decision ruled finally that the casinos came under federal, not city jurisdiction both parties have continued to battle it out over who should have final say when it comes to casino gaming in the city. In November 2013, city legislators agreed to draft a new gaming law which could not be subject to appeal and could not be overruled in local courts. However the new law became stalled over the issue of back taxes as casinos located in the city owe a debt of between $1.5bn pesos and $2bn pesos in gross gaming back taxes.

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