Argentina: Union leader calls for action to secure Necochea casino’s future after failed tender
Union leaders and local authorities are coordinating efforts to secure jobs and preserve the Necochea casino’s future.
Key Points
- AMS Casinos union is in talks with city officials and the Buenos Aires Institute of Lotteries and Casinos, to explore next steps following the failed tender
- Relocation of the gaming hall remains a possibility, though legal changes would be required to modify existing ordinances
After the most recent tender for slot operations in Necochea drew no bids, officials and local stakeholders are mounting efforts to prevent further disruption to gaming employment and infrastructure.
The bidding failure follows earlier uncertainty surrounding the casino’s future, when the tender process initially concluded without qualified offers. Meanwhile, the Province of Buenos Aires had been advancing a broader plan to modernize its casino portfolio by inviting bids for seven venues, including Necochea.
Against this backdrop, Fernando Hansen, leader of the AMS Casinos union, said that union representatives have engaged municipal councilors to press the Buenos Aires Institute of Lotteries and Casinos for remedial steps. He told local media: “If the second tender remains void, we will have to begin advancing the possibility of relocating the gaming hall to another place in the seaside town.”
He also confirmed that talks have been held with Mayor Arturo Rojas to discuss interim pathways while awaiting a new bidding process. Regarding the municipal legislature’s posture, he said: “We were left working on a resolution project in the next ordinary session of the Council, which would come from the body in its entirety and not from a single bloc because this is transversal to all political spaces.”
Good to know: The first casino in Necochea opened in 1913, while the current building dates back to 1973
Hansen described the council’s reception as constructive: “There was absolute support to work together to resolve this.” He added that local business actors tied to establishments Ernnan’s and Etiopía may be assessing alternate locations for the gaming hall.
Still, he noted that legal barriers would restrict any relocation without adjusting existing ordinances. He added: “For that to happen, there must exist a modification of an ordinance that allows us to leave the place where we are currently deployed; otherwise it will be very difficult.”
He acknowledged that realizing such a change in time for the summer tourist season would be “extremely difficult,” which suggests that operations might remain at the current casino complex in the near term.
These developments underscore the stakes for provincial authorities: the need to re-launch the tender, maintain continuity of employment and preserve the viability of Necochea’s casino operations within the broader modernization strategy underway in Buenos Aires’ gaming sector.
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