Seven casinos in three lots
In Argentina, eight operators have ponied up $500,000 to bid on the right to operate slots at some of the seven state-owned casinos in Buenos Aires.
According to La Nación, Codere, Enjoy and Boldt—the current slot operator—are in the running, along with companies in Paraguay and Brazil.
Games Magazine Brasil reports that the seven casinos will be tendered in three lots. The largest casino in the region, Trilenium in Tigre, will be tendered alongside the casino in the coastal resort of Pinamar. Slots in the Central casino in Mar del Plata will be tendered alongside Monte Hermoso. Slots for the Hermitage casino, also in Mar del Plata, will be tendered alongside the slots in the casinos in the cities of Tandil and Miramar.
Boldt, which currently operates 2,600 slot machines in the province, was the first to sign on, followed by Yojne SA, a subsidiary of Enjoy, the Chilean firm that owns the Conrad of Punta del Este and the Mendoza casino. The third list was acquired by Codere. Smaller locally based companies Bingo Pilar SA and Victoria Casino also bought the terms and conditions.
Presently, the operators get about 55 percent of the net slot win, with the rest going to the province, which pays for maintenance, salaries and uniforms as well as services and security. Unlike bingo halls, casinos belong to the province, reported Games.
The bids will be opened starting June 11 in the Office of Provincial Administration and Finance. Licenses will run for a period of twenty years, with a possible one-year extension.
