Buenos Aires casinos face withdrawal of two major bidders in tender process

The bidding process for the management of slot machines in seven casinos in the province of Buenos Aires has taken an unexpected turn: two of the main international competitors have withdrawn from the tender, according to reports in Argentina.

As a result, Boldt is emerging as the frontrunner. Codere and Enjoy, two major players in the gambling industry, pulled out at the last minute, citing financial instability and dollar volatility as their main reasons. Solaire and Ajest also opted out of the process.

Back in April, the President of the Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos of Buenos Aires, Gonzalo Atanasof, signed a resolution that promotes the call for tenders for seven casinos located in different parts of the province, which until now had been operating under an extension of their concession.

The situation has now shifted: Boldt will compete against only two smaller contenders, Casino de Victoria, owned by Daniel Mautone, and Oasis Entertainment, operator of Bingo Pilar and linked to Ricardo Glazman and Alejandro Gravier.

Good to know: This marks the first public tender since gaming came under provincial control in 1995. Until now, all licenses were awarded, renewed, and extended directly, without any competitive process

Neither submitted bids for the Trilenium Casino in Tigre, regarded as the centerpiece of the process, featuring 1,600 slot machines from the 3,860 total, and strong year-round attendance.

To avoid having no bids for the lower-revenue casinos, Lotería grouped the seven casinos into three packages, mixing more profitable venues with less profitable ones: Trilenium (Tigre) paired with the Pinamar casino; Casino Central (Mar del Plata) with the Monte Hermoso venue; and Hermitage (Mar del Plata) combined with the casinos of Tandil and Miramar.

Boldt, owned by the Tabanelli family, submitted bids for all packages, which could lead to the company managing all seven casinos.

There has been no mention of Cirsa applying as of yet, either.

Carlos Mendez

Writer

Odds tell a story long before the result does. When bettors learn to read that story properly, betting becomes a matter of discipline and value rather than emotion or guesswork.

Visit Profile

Players trust our reporting due to our commitment to unbiased and professional evaluations of the iGaming sector. We track hundreds of platforms and industry updates daily to ensure our news feed and leaderboards reflect the most recent market shifts. With nearly two decades of experience within iGaming, our team provides a wealth of expert knowledge. This long-standing expertise enables us to deliver thorough, reliable news and guidance to our readers.