It may be the end of the world to some but Ushuaia in Argentina is increasingly becoming a tourist centre and, along with the tourists, has come hotel and casino development. Patagonia or Tierra del Fuego or, as once marked on maps, Tierra Incognita, offers spectacular scenery and snow sports, and Ushuaia’s deep harbour has become the gateway to Antarctica. Some 55,000 people live in the city and tourism brings around US$120 million into the economy each year.

In 2005 the provincial betting regulator IPRA renewed the casino licence of Casino Club S.A. for ten years, and Casino Club Ushuaia features around 150 slot machines and 9 table games. There are now non-stop daily flights from Buenos Aires to this previously remote region with pristine snow-capped mountain peaks located along the Beagle Channel. Cruise ships also dock regularly, mainly through the warmer months of December to March, and last year nearly 250,000 visitors arrived in Ushuaia.

The Patagonia region of South America is seeing growth in its casino industry and Ushuaia, the most southern city in the world is surprisingly busy, actively promoting itself in order to prolong the tourist season. There are also moves to preserve the unique characteristics of Ushuaia and not introduce too many high-rise buildings. Neuquen, the largest city in Argentina’s Patagonian region and the administrative capital, saw the opening of Pinnacle Entertainment’s US$14 million Casino Magic in July 2005. (E-05.10.07)

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