With two failed tenders for their casinos, Paraguay’s Comisión Nacional de Juegos de Azar (Conajzar), is getting a third international tender process under way to ensure that third time lucky does get punters ready to invest in casinos in this Mediterranean South American country.

Paraguay has per capita purchasing power parity GDP of US $5,000, and with some 7 million inhabitants it should be able to host a dozen casinos in the country, as projected by Conajzar. However, unless the tender rules are clear and in line with international conditions, Paraguay is destined to have a gaming industry with as much order as the country chosen by Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid to make their fortune.

Early in November, Ricardo Lugo, legal counsel for Conajzar, said that the new tender documents contained the necessary changes to ensure its success but that there was still a lack of consensus on the changes within Paraguay’s regulating body. One of the major changes to the tender documents includes slot machines regulations, which the casinos operators had to comply with in previous tenders - when there wasn’t one!

Another of the changes needed is the licensing terms, which should be extended from 60 to 120 months; also, the terms for the tender winners to build, install, and open the casinos, which Lugo - an expert in casino operations in the region - had criticized as being too short, and “prepared for those who already know that everything is all right and can open within the given time.” (E-12.02.10)

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