888, Stars Group and Intralot in hunt for Buenos Aires licences

888, The Stars Group and Intralot are among a number of European online gaming firms expected to apply for a Buenos Aires licence in the coming weeks.

The province last week published its licensing specifications, with around nineteen companies thought be in the running for seven licences covering online sports, bingo and casino.

The regulations specified that applicants are required to maintain a physical presence in Buenos Aires, with international operators partnering up with local firms to satisfy the conditions.

888 Holdings confirmed to EGR it had partnered with Boldt S.A., a local provider of slots and lottery technology, for its application.

A local source said The Stars Group, Intralot, and Spanish firm Luckia Gaming had all agreed local partnerships for licensing purposes.

Playtech’s Mexico partner Caliente also has a local partner.

Stars is thought to have partnered with local entrepreneur and Boca Juniors president, Daniel Angelcii, while Playtech/Caliente is thought to have partnered with local casino owner Daniel Mautone.

The Stars Group declined to comment.

Elsewhere, GVC told EGR it was still examining the licencing process and hadn’t come to a decision as to whether to apply yet.

Operators would pay a total 25% of tax on their respective gross gambling revenues.

The application window closes on 25 June, with licences expected to be issued in October and the first offerings going live in Q1 next year.

The Buenos Aires market is projected the be worth around $200m in annual revenue in year five of operation, with around half of that coming from sports betting, according to Ficom Leisure.