The fate of the Montevideo Municipal Casino remains a disputed issue for candidates for mayor of the Uruguayan capital. Mario Bergara, candidate for the Frente Amplio (FA), expressed his support for the casino to cease being a municipal responsibility, and to become part of the national government’s network.
“Conceptually, it is quite difficult to argue that managing, administering, and operating a casino is within the purview of a departmental government,” Bergara stated during a working breakfast organized by the Marketing Executives Association (ADM).
The candidate argued that the establishment shows a clear deterioration. “There are no cloths, no cards, it’s a place of slot machines,” he commented. He also expressed his openness to a dialogue with the workers to define the future of the casino.
In turn, he warned that, if elected mayor, he will not make the decision to close or not close the municipal casino, but “yes, that it be integrated into the orbit of the National Directorate of Casinos,” safeguarding the rights of the more than 50 workers.
His position is in conflict with that declared by his electoral rival Martín Lema, candidate of the Republican Coalition, who stated that he will proceed to close the Municipal Casino Parque Hotel if elected.
Lema had expressed last year the desire to close the establishment, after the Municipality of Montevideo reported that the gaming room had registered a deficit of UYU 87 million (USD 2.1 million) during 2023.
