Seven applicants for Paraguay sports betting franchise
Paraguay’s gambling regulator Conajzar says it has received seven applications for the tender.
Paraguay.- Conajzar, the gambling authority in Paraguay, says it has received seven applications for its tender to run the country’s planned national sports betting franchise. The regulator has run a nationwide advertising campaign to promote the tender among both the public and businesses.
The winning applicant will be granted a five-year licence to run a federal sports betting franchise across across all 17 provinces, excluding the capital district, Asunción. Conajzar estimates that the market will be worth around $500m a year.
The regulator says it has received applications from Daruma Sam SA, Jockey Club Paraguay, 7 Saltos SA, Consortium B Gaming, Consortium Empresa Fun, Hy Hao Yun SA and private businessman Luis Carlos Alder Benítez. Daruma Sam SA operates the Aposta.LA brand of betting shops in Greater Asunción.
The tender has not been without criticism in Paraguay. The trade body APOJA claims that the contest is not viable under existing gambling legislation, Law 1016. That 1996 law was modified in 2015 to include definitions relating to online sports betting, but the legal framework is still limited.
APOJA has also criticised Conajzar for opting to pursue an exclusive monopoly franchise contract calling for it to instead concentrate on updating legislation.
