SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
The postponement of gambling amendments was announced by the Senate’s Constitutional Affairs Committee, chaired by Javier Zacarías Irún.
The Committee had been assigned to review a ‘project proposal’ for gambling amendments endorsed by Senators Sergio Rojas and Dionisio Amarilla.
The proposal called for the Senate to rectify Law No. 1016/1997, with new amendments needed for Paraguay to establish a modern legislative framework to govern gambling activities.
Drastic amendments to Law No. 1016/1997 are required for Paraguayan authorities to regulate online gambling.
Senators Rojas and Amarilla’s appeal stated that Paraguay’s current legal framework was obsolete and could not handle online gambling disputes or help Paraguayan authorities prosecute or combat black-market gambling activities.
Further changes sought the government to overhaul Conajzar, the National Gambling Commission of Paraguay.
In 2023, Conajzar came under political scrutiny for its botched tender of a federal sports betting franchise, awarded to Daruma SAM, the operator of Aposta.LA betting shops in the capital municipality of Gran Asunción.
The tender was voided as Conajzar had proceeded to award the contract with no government oversight or clear competition framework. Conajzar was placed under investigation by CONACOM, Paraguay’s competition authority.
APOJA, Paraguay’s Gambling Association, called for Conajzar to be suspended from its supervisory and licensing duties, as the Senate reviews amendments to Paraguay’s existing laws.
The Senate’s postponement of gambling amendments is thought to be related to concerns over whether Paraguay will overhaul existing monopoly arrangements related to gambling franchises operating in municipal districts.
APOJA has urged the government to follow the example of countries like Colombia and Peru by ending gambling monopolies and promoting a liberalised market to boost tax revenue for social projects.
The Senate Committee responded by citing that it had received fourteen proposals from individual legislators endorsing gambling amendments. However, no proposal put forward has yet tackled how to settle contractual disputes and economic rights related to monopoly contracts.
APOJA President Lorena Rojas warned of the need to reform the regulations before the current quiniela contract expires so that the concession is not renewed under the current monopolistic scheme.
The trade body seeks guarantees from the Senate that monopoly rights will be removed from Law No. 1016/1997 to ensure that Paraguay can modernise its gambling sector.
