Paraguay’s new bill seeks to end gambling monopoly

Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of the National Congress) partially approved the gambling reform bill yesterday. Signed by Finance Minister Carlos Fernandez Valdovinos and President Santiago Peña, the bill now moves to the Senate for final approval.

The bill aims to eliminate current monopolies and allow private competitors access to entering the market, meaning that commercial operators of games of chance will be able to compete without having to go through tender processes. Conajzar President Carlos Liseras hopes that with growing competition in the gambling market, the tax revenues will also increase.

According to the bill:

“Our country has witnessed marked economic and social changes, which has led to an exponential development of its markets and gambling has not been left behind by such dynamism. Rather, it has been reached by technological and economic changes that have resulted in new types of gambling as well as in the number of providers and users of them.”

Aside from expanding the market, another key goal of the measure is to enhance Conajzar as a regulatory authority. It aims to strengthen Conajzar by bringing it under the authority of the National Tax Revenue Directorate (DNIT). The general director of Conajzar will oversee all aspects of gambling in Paraguay, including coordination, development, control, and monitoring.