Operatoriaus naujienos
Ecuador – New project would bring casinos back to Ecuador
By Fil – 2 m. gegužės 2019 d
A new project has been put forward that would allow for the reopening of all the casinos in Ecuador.
The project was put forward by Mauricio Villacís, President of the Association of Ex-Workers for the casino sector. According to Villacís the country is losing out on millions in tax revenue and “more than 20,000 jobs directly and indirectly linked to this activity, with an approximate investment of about $400m.”
Projektas jau yra Darbo, Turizmo ir Ūkio ministerijų bei Vidaus pajamų tarnybos (VMI) rankose. Tikimasi, kad per juos projektas galiausiai bus pateiktas prezidentui Leninui Moreno, kuris 2017 m. tapo Ekvadoro prezidentu ir yra daug centristesnis nei jo kairiojo sparno pirmtakas Rafaelis Correa.
The supporter of the new bill argues that between its neighbouring countries Peru and Colombia “we have data that they (casinos) report profits of about US$300m.” Of that amount they say as much as 15 per cent is generated by Ecuadorian players.
Villacís said that this means that “some 45 million dollars go to Colombia and Peru for gambling, not to mention online gambling, in which Ecuador has no regulations,” meaning that millions more is probably being gambled via offshore gambling sites.
One of the lawmakers to publicly make a stand on the issue is the Mayor of Quito, Jorge Yunda, who said that the reopening of casinos should be part of a referendum when talking about extending the opening hours of nightclubs.
The bill includes the repeal of Article 236 of the Comprehensive Criminal Code (COIP), which prohibits gambling for profit. Villacís said that casinos could be allowed again either via a referendum or via the Constitutional Court. Among the proposed changes is the creation of a new gaming regulatory body.
2010 m. rugsėjį tuometinis Ekvadoro prezidentas Rafaelis Correa paskelbė, kad jo vyriausybė siekia uždrausti kazino. Teigdamas, kad kazino Ekvadore tapo korupcijos ir pinigų plovimo židiniais, Correa sakė vietos spaudai, kad jo administracija pateiks šį klausimą Ekvadoro žmonėms kaip referendumo dalį. Jei Ekvadoro žmonės sutiktų su prezidento nuomone šiuo klausimu, visi penkiasdešimt penki kazino ir bingo salės Ekvadore būtų nedelsiant uždaryti.
Beveik keturi milijonai ekvadoriečių (47.7 proc. rinkėjų) balsavo už tokį žingsnį, o tai reiškia, kad daugelis kvalifikuotų ir patyrusių kazino darbuotojų, kurių daugelis šioje pramonėje dirbo beveik 15 metų, liko be darbo.
Caption: The old Casino Sol in Ecudaor
