@The public hearing on the bill to eliminate the gambling monopoly in Paraguay has been held in the Chamber of Deputies. The hearing was held in the Committee on Legislation and Codification. The advisory body was chaired by legislator Jorge Ávalos Mariño while the initiative was authored by Deputy Adrián Vaesken.
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the Treasury Attorney’s Office amongst other officials. Industry representatives from Latin America also participated in the hearing online.
Deputy Adrián Vaesken explained that the proposal aims to end the monopoly on gambling, arguing that Paraguay is one of the few countries that does not have anti-monopoly legislation regarding gambling. The deputy advocated for the formalization of the market through the initiative to eliminate illegal gambling and create job opportunities for all Paraguayans.
“It is urgent to amend the organic charter of the National Gambling Commission. We need to be open and allow the free market to flow; to promote competition and generate more revenue for the Paraguayan state,” he said.
Lawmakers are looking to make a significant modification to the law. If changes are approved, concessions would be granted to the three best bidders in the tenders, and no longer just to one company.
In November, fourteen legislators from the Chamber of Deputies presented the bill aimed to modify Paraguay’s gambling law. If approved, the bill would modify articles 8, 11, 13, 21, 22, and 23 of the law. Lawmakers, headed by Deputy Billy Vaesken, have put forward a number of modifications that would end the way the law allows for monopolies in certain sectors of the gaming industry in the country.
Last month, the Paraguayan Association of Gambling Operators (APOJA) announced that they would hold a public hearing in the Chamber of Deputies to discuss a bill aimed at modifying Law No. 1,016/1997 in an attempt to eliminate the monopoly on the concession of gambling activities. However, the hearing was delayed after the news of the death of a national deputy.