Seven Companies Apply for Paraguay Sports Betting Franchise License

The process of establishing a nationwide sportsbook franchise, which would be permitted to operate in all but one of Paraguay’s seventeen regional provinces, has entered its next stage. The South American state’s native gambling regulation enforcer, Conjzar, has this week confirmed that seven parties have formally applied to acquire the five-year franchise license, which would permit one of these suitors to run a federalized, countrywide, sports betting enterprise.

Conjzar have pursued an aggressive advertising campaign, as they look to generate energy and credibility around a nascent market which they believe to be soon worth approximately $500m per annum. There’s certainly be no shortage of national interest, with many of the country’s most prominent sportsbook firms entering their hat into the ring. Jockey Club Paraguay 7, Saltos SA, Consortium B Gaming, Consortium Empresa Fun, Hy Hao Yun SA, and Daruma SA, who facilitates its operations through the Aposta.LA retail betting brand base in Greater Asuncion. There is also an independent bid from local businessman Luis Carlos Adler Benitez. The successful applicant will be able to offer sportsbook odds in all districts, with the exception of the capital municipality.

The franchise model has faced criticism from several observers, no less than the APOJA, a prominent Paraguayan trades body, who assert current gambling legislation does not allow passage to this style of industry. The group also challenged whether handing a contract of such proportions to a single entity was in the market’s best interests, and suggested Conjzar focus would be better spent on improving Paraguay’s existing regulatory framework.