Buenos Aires Governor María Eugenia Vidal has pushed back a tender for online gaming licenses while she seeks reelection. Though Vidal has said she’s opposed to gambling on moral grounds, she worked to push through online gaming laws earlier this year. A total of 14 companies were scheduled to contend for the seven online gambling licenses for the province, according to Games Magazine Brasil.
Online gaming has been legal in Argentina since 2006 but only on a province-to-province basis.
Last month, Vidal lost the gubernatorial primary to Axel Kicillof by a margin of almost 17 percent margin. According to local daily La Política, she will revisit the tender after the election is decided.
Games described Vidal as an ally of President Mauricio Macri, who was also unexpectedly defeated in the primaries, “as voters vented their frustration over austerity measures, the country’s deep recession and soaring inflation at the polls.” Alberto Fernández trounced Macri by a margin of 15.6 percent, according to the New York Times.
International interest in Buenos Aires is reportedly high, but the church is sure to wield its influence to keep online betting out of BA. In July, the Argentine Episcopal Commission issued a statement expressing its unhappiness at the number of casinos, bingo halls and slot machines in the country. It also took issue with the increase of lottery betting.
The Argentine government has historically been opposed to online gaming, but those reservations may be swept aside as the country grapples with an ongoing economic crisis.
