The South American country won’t renew online casino talks until at least March
Sergio Botana, senator of the Uruguayan National Party, recently presented a bill to regulate slot machines. However, Uruguay has no laws to regulate online gambling despite the overall agreement that it’s needed. It’s now going to take a little longer for those laws to appear.
The Deputies’ Finance Committee has been examining a bill approved by the Senate since August 2022, which presents transformations to the regulation proposed by the Executive Power in November 2021. This bill aims to legalize and control online gambling through the General Directorate of Casinos and private groups.
Commission member Juan Martín Rodríguez remarked that lawmakers in the lower chamber believe that “the best proposal is that of the Executive Branch,” but since the Senate’s suggestion had been voted unanimously, it chose to “work on a specific modification” of the ten articles that make up the second proposal.
The difference between the two proposals is that the one delivered by the Executive Branch did not offer assistance for gambling addiction, which was added by the Senate in 2022. The modification suggested by the Chamber of Deputies refers to the article that enables online gambling profit only when the investors conclude the action in a retail casino location. It now seeks to specify a graduality in defining when private companies within Uruguay can offer internet gambling.
The Deputies’ proposal states that once a percentage of investment is achieved, which could range from 20% to 50%, online casinos can start to generate resources.
Despite the rejection by the National Party in the December 20 session, it was determined that the discussion would be delayed until the House of Representatives’ first session in March of next year due to the absence of arrangements within the Treasury.
