Peru’s brick-and-mortar gaming industry continues to be pummeled by the economic effects of the pandemic, prompting the government to contemplate legislation to legalize online gaming.
Rep. Walter Ascona has introduced a bill that would allow online gaming at a 12 percent tax rate. Current estimates are that the underground sports betting industry currently is valued at about $485 million. If taxed at that rate it would generate about $65 million annually for the government.
The effects of the pandemic have cost brick and mortar casinos in Peru as much as $540 million and 15 percent of casino jobs, according to union leader Iván Katekaru who said, “It’s one of the largest sources of jobs in the country with 87,000 formal jobs and 250,000 indirect jobs, and one of the most organized sectors as it contributes more than $135m a year.”
