Paraguay’s Regulator Announces a Sports Betting Tender

Paraguay’s gambling authority, Conajzar, has announced a new tender for the rights to offer sports betting in all of the country’s provinces.

Conajzar Launches a Sports Betting Tender

Conajzar, Paraguay’s gambling regulator, has just launched a new media campaign in search of a reliable sports betting operator. The authority hopes to find a company that is good enough to take bets from all provinces in the country.

The media campaign informs operators that the rights to operate a nationwide sports betting franchise will be tendered, with the winner announced at the end of October. Conajzar will announce its decision on October 31 and will provide the tender winner with a license to operate a sports betting franchise in the entire Paraguay.

The Winner Must Establish a Physical Presence in the Country

This tender is in line with the country’s Law-1016 which defines the rules for Paraguay’s gambling ecosystem. According to the law’s latest iteration from 2015, sports betting is any activity in which people risk money on the results of an unconcluded sporting event. People who participate in sports betting must also be unrelated to the event.

As per the law, sports betting licenses must be awarded by a public tender, which also applies to other forms of gaming licenses. Conajzar, therefore, hopes to use the tender as an opportunity to find reliable operators that will manage sports gambling responsibly.

There are also a few requirements for applicants, although the standards are pretty low. For example, all companies that hope to receive the aforementioned license must first pay a guarantee payment of around $8,700 to the country’s National Development Trust. In addition, the company that wins the tender must later establish a physical presence in Asunción, Paraguay’s capital city.

Paraguay’s Strife for a Well-Regulated Market Continues

Paraguay is currently working to get the gambling ecosystem under control and protect minors and vulnerable groups from gambling harm. To that end, the country’s senate passed a new bill earlier this year. The bill was introduced this spring and envisioned the prohibition of slot machines at non-gambling sites, such as bars, restaurants, shops and other establishments.

A few weeks later, Paraguay’s president, Mario Abdo Benítez, enacted the law known as Ley de Tragamonedas, effectively barring non-gambling venues from offering slots and protecting minors from being exposed to gambling content.

Paraguay’s gambling industry is currently dealing with other problems, including alleged corruption amid the ranks of Conajzar and tax evasions on Paraguay’s licensees’ side. The South American country also continues its fight against unlicensed gaming as it hopes to establish a healthy regulated industry.