Buenos Aires province names first four egaming licensees

Officials in Buenos Aires have awarded the first four of seven licences to operate online gaming in the Argentine province, naming William Hill, bet365, 888 and Intralot.

William Hill has partnered with Argentine operator Bingo Moreno, while 888 has joined forces with Boldt to operate the Bplay brand in the province.

Bet365 will work with Bingo Berazategui, while local operator Binbaires has partnered with Greek operator Intralot to bring the BetWarrior brand to the Buenos Aires provincial market.

Under rules established by the Buenos Aires provincial government and administered by local regulator, the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos (IPLyC), each international operator must partner with a locally based gambling firm and maintain a physical presence in the province.

The award caps a two-year process which began in 2019 but has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

As part of the licence award, each operator must sign a cooperation agreement with the IPLyC, have passed an extensive review process and were required to present guarantees to provincial officials as part of their application.

Each licensee paid an application fee of ARS$5.5m (£41,000), and a non-refundable licence fee of ARS$65m.

Licences are valid for a 15-year period, with all licensees required to pay a 25% tax rate on their gross gambling revenue (GGR).

A total of seven licences are available, with three yet to be confirmed.

Operators currently in the running include Betsson Group, which has partnered with Casino Victoria, PokerStars and its local partner Chivilcoy Bingo and Playtech, which has agreed a local partnership with the Tandil Casino.

The award means the operators are free to commence operations immediately.

A separate licensing regime is currently underway in the City of Buenos Aires, with suppliers Habanero and Play’n GO confirmed as receiving licences to supply online gaming to local operators.