South America’s oldest casino “no longer makes sense,” Montevideo mayor says
The city intends to transfer the casino to national government control.
Uruguay.- The municipal government of the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo intends to transfer the Casino Parque Hotel to the national government. Mayor Mario Bergara has confirmed the intention to meet with the Ministry of Economy and the General Directorate of Casinos to discuss the future of the loss-making operation amid political pressure to close the venue, which the municipality describes as the oldest casino in South America.
“It no longer makes sense for a municipal government to manage a casino,” Bergara told Canal 5 TV channel. She said that while the casino had historical value, there was no other justification for maintaining the operation.
“The municipality does not have a gaming policy, which involves much more than having a venue with slot machines,” he said, adding: “From the Casino Directorate, gaming policy must involve not only what games are played and where, but also campaigns against gambling addiction and similar initiatives.”
The casino, located in Parque Rodó, has been in decline for some years and no longer offers card games or roulette. Bergara said that there were only a small number of employees, many of whom were coming up to retirement age.
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Juan Ignacio Abdala, a nationalist legislator recently called for the permanent closure of the gambling hall due to the “sustained drop in revenue”. He proposed relocating staff to other areas of the municipality and installing an addiction rehabilitation center in the building.
“Slot machine revenue continues to fall, the rest of the games are no longer operating, and there are no actions to reverse the situation,” Abdala told Uruguayan newspaper El País. In June, the casino reported revenue of just US$277,000, while monthly expenses exceeded US$541,000, suggesting that the casino could rack up an annual deficit of US$2m.
Meetings will now be held to discuss the framework for transferring the casino operations from municipal to national government under existing national gaming regulations and oversight structures. Montevideo also has casino gaming at the Sofitel hotel (Casino Carrasco).
