U
nder Law No. 15.079, the provincial legislature regulated online gambling activity in its different modalities and authorized the granting of up to seven licenses for a period of fifteen years. This public process was started in 2019, during María Eugenia Vidal’s government, and in parallel with the City of Buenos Aires, which would also start operating before the end of the year.
The signed licenses include four companies, which are made up of a local and a foreign partner and could start operating in the coming months. These are BetWarrior (Binbaires and Intralot), Bplay (Boldt and 888), William Hill (Bingo Moreno and William Hill), and Bet365 (Bingo Berazategui and Bet365).
These companies “are in a position to sign the respective agreement that will unite the relationship with this Institute,” as stated in the official record of the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos.
Those assigned went through the bidding process in which they passed a series of patrimonial and legal accreditations. In tax terms, according to Resolution 795, each licensee paid $5.5 million at the time of filing and must pay $65,000,000 as a single fixed charge, in addition to the royalty payments (10%) and gross yearly revenue taxes (15%), which the licensees must pay once they start operating, as well as the rest of the applicable taxes, such as income taxes.
Of those mentioned, BetWarrior is a company made up of the Hipódromo de Palermo and the Buenos Aires Casino. It also has the participation of the Danish company Shape, which currently operates the Danish lottery and Intralot. Launched three years ago, BetWarrior operates in a large part of Latin America.
Bplay is a company of the Boldt Group and 888, and it already operates online gaming in Paraguay and in the province of Santa Fe. Now it wants to expand into Buenos Aires, where it has already advertised the Estudiantes de La Plata jersey.
William Hill is associated in Argentina with Argenbingo, a company that operates Bingo de Moreno and has 30 years of experience in the field. Finally, the renowned Bet365 is associated with the operating capitals of “Bingo Begui”, from Berazategui, province of Buenos Aires.
Three additional companies are authorized to operate in the Province of Buenos Aires, which have not yet been able to sign their licenses. They are Playtech, Pokerstars, and Betsson, all associated with a local operator.
In this manner, the launch of online gaming is ready for the largest province in the country. The City of Buenos Aires, the other most important market in Argentina, is also about to give its approval, with different characteristics.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international//noticias/2021/08/17/58861-four-companies-granted-online-betting-licenses-in-the-province-of-buenos-aires
