Fourteen Paraguayan lawmakers are urging the government to amend some articles of the proposed Gambling Law, SBC News reported November 13.
They want to amend six articles of the law to curtail some of the powers of the National Gambling Commission of Paraguay (Conajzar,) in granting concessions for gaming licenses.
The deputies that signed the proposal said the commission had misused its powers by granting licenses to Daruma SAM. They demanded to know why “Conajzar had been awarding the exploitation of national games such as sports betting, pools, lotteries among others exclusively; that is, monopolistically, to a single company for a period of five years.”
This issue first arose in 2022 after Conajzar attempted to award one sports betting franchise across the entire country. It issued a tender and stirred up instant opposition from bidders who demanded to know why they were disqualified from applying.
After Conajzar declared Daruma SAM as the winter of the sportsbook tender, the bidders who lost out challenged the decision in court and demanded that CONACOM, Paraguay’s competition authority, conduct an investigation. They accused Conajzar of favoritism.
They also questioned why the commission launched a sportsbook tender for the entire nation when existing legislation doesn’t seem to give it that authority. They cited Paraguay’s constitution: “Every citizen has the right to engage in the lawful economic activity of his or her preference, within a regime of equal opportunities. Competition in the market is guaranteed. The creation of monopolies will not be allowed.”
The country’s general election earlier in 2023 postponed the investigation. When the new president, Santiago Peña, took office he ordered an overhaul of the commission.
