Córdoba Slots Show Promising Turnover
Author:
Muhammad Gregory
In Córdoba, Argentina, authorities were able to report on recent gaming figures this week. According to the local lottery overseer — which also tallies figures for slot machine intake — the province has received more than $2 million USD for the operating canon from CET for January 2023, and $247,722 USD in slot revenue. Córdoba Lottery also shared information about why this figure was collected now, and not previously.
Córdoba, Argentina has reported a record-breaking revenue collection for slot machines in January 2023.
Alvaro Palacios/Unsplash
A record-breaking month for slots in Córdoba
At the start of the year and throughout February, many gaming companies and government agencies share their reports on the last year of growth in the industry. For example, Paraguay’s agency Conajzar made public data concerning 2022, which was a positive sign for the country’s gaming health.
In Argentina, despite the current fanfare around casino openings for the summer 2023 season, agencies are still interested in looking back at what has happened up until now. In Córdoba, the Córdoba Lottery has zeroed in on figures for slot machine gambling in January 2023.
Slot machine gaming has hit a record high in the province, which is in central Argentina and has a capital city of the same name. The lottery board was able to report that slots have brought in over $200,000 USD in earnings just for the first month of the year alone, not including CET’s $2 million USD canon.
Causes of Córdoba’s high slots intake
The next clear question is why this record-breaking intake is happening now. A big part of the answer is due to the pandemic, which saw gaming rooms — including slot rooms — operate at a low capacity for months or shut down completely. A year ago, this was still very much the case as many countries suffered from resurgences of the virus and struggled to combat it.
Of course, the Covid-19 situation has improved drastically since then, resulting in the reopening of many gaming spaces, like slot rooms. Customers have likely been waiting to enjoy in-person gaming and have shown up in full force now that it is possible in the region.
Within Córdoba, fans can find legal slots in a number of cities, though not in the province’s capital city. These include: Morteros, Villa María, Cosquín, Cruz Alta, General Roca, San Francisco, Mina Clavero, Río Cuarto, Miramar de Ansenuza, La Falda, Laboulaye, Corral de Bustos, Río Ceballos, Embalse and Villa Carlos Paz. Slots will also soon be available in Almafuerte, a city towards the south of the region.
Within the recent report, the lottery shared where the most slot revenue is found at the moment. These three cities, in order, are: Villa Carlos Paz, Alta Gracia and Rio Ceballos. Overall, Córdoba’s land-based slot betting has not been affected much by its recent ruling on online gaming.
In 2021, the province voted on introducing online gaming legislation, which would also include online slots. Within this law, it was agreed that up to ten Argentine companies would be allowed to bid for one license in the region.
The terms of the license were for 15 years, though it would not be extendable after that period, meaning that the license holder would need to bid again. The company would also be responsible for a 10% fee every month, calculated from the gross revenue collected in online betting in the area. This money was allocated to government spending for various social programs.
