APOJA warns of illegal gambling, addiction risks in Paraguay
The Paraguayan Association of Gambling Operators (APOJA) has expressed deep concern about the advance of illegal betting platforms in Paraguay and the increasing access of minors to these sites. According to the president of the entity, Lorena Rojas, the problem even surpasses that of clandestine slot machines operating on the streets, due to the ease with which children and adolescents can enter betting websites and applications without any type of identification filter. Rojas explained that these illegal platforms lack self-exclusion systems and do not offer guarantees of prize payments, which worsens the situation. “On illegal websites there is no control at all. Added to that are the multiple payment methods, such as transfers from phone company wallets, credit or debit cards, or even the cellphone balance. All this creates a worrying situation within the family environment,” Rojas told the media outlet El Tribuno.
The president of APOJA also compared the business model of physical slot machines with that of online gaming platforms, pointing out that in both cases there are operators who acquire the product to exploit it directly and others who rent it to third parties. However, she warned that some service providers—whether platforms, content, games, or payment gateways—market their products without distinguishing whether the company acquiring them has a license or is an unauthorized operator.
In Paraguay, authorization from the National Gambling Commission (Conajzar) is nationwide and prohibits bets from players located abroad. However, Rojas warned that when a provider offers services without verifying the operator’s license, the platform can receive bets from users both inside the country and abroad. “And if a jurisdiction like Malta grants global permits, it should still respect the laws of each country. But in practice, everything is so open and uncontrolled that this is one of the greatest dangers, especially for minors,” Rojas detailed.
The lack of control not only puts users at risk, especially minors, but also negatively impacts state revenue, since illegal platforms do not pay taxes. Faced with this scenario and considering that there is no reliable identification tool in Paraguay, Rojas proposed implementing the “.bet.py” domain in the official web addresses of legal operators.
According to the APOJA representative, this measure would help combat clandestine online gambling, promote education on responsible gaming, and allow users to clearly differentiate between legal and illegal platforms.
Tags: Paraguay, APOJA, betting, regulation, Conajzar