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Coronavirus: slots and casinos are at the end of the reopening plan and there is fear of the employees

2020-10-21T09:54:51.217Z


Between the Hipódromo and the casino of Puerto Madero there are about 5,000 direct jobs. For now there have been no layoffs, but they know that they will be one of the last to resume face-to-face activity.


Silvia Gomez

10/21/2020 6:00 AM

  • Clarín.com

  • Cities

Updated 10/21/2020 6:00 AM

After seven months of quarantine in the country and the stabilization of coronavirus cases in the City, a process of reopening of activities that does not stop was consolidated;

on the contrary, it advances even with the return of the students of the last years of the primary and secondary schools and the permission for the

Buenos Aires shopping malls to

open their doors, among other items.

This

"comprehensive and gradual plan for the start-up of the City"

-as it was baptized by Horacio Rodríguez Larreta's administration- includes hundreds of activities, economic, recreational and linked to transport and mobility.

And although the government understands that progress was made in three of the six stages conceived, there is one item that is invisible: these are

the gambling halls of

the Palermo Hippodrome and the floating Casino of Puerto Madero.

Its reopening is

not included in any of the six stages

.

Between the two, there are

almost 5,000

direct

jobs

;

but it is estimated that it impacts, at least, another 3,000 families indirectly.

Although both companies have developed protocols and have contact with the City, they are uncertain about the possibility of a return to work.

"The company promised not to lay off employees and the workers are receiving 75% of the salaries. However, the problem is the uncertain future of our activity. We do not see that in a more or less near term there will be any resolution for our case There is a dialogue with the Buenos Aires authorities, but we are going through

a critical situation

, "

spokesmen from the Palermo Hippodrome

explained to

Clarín

.

Linked to the tasks of the slots, the Hippodrome has almost 2,000 employees;

and it is a very minor percentage that can carry out tasks from home.

The company developed a protocol to operate and plans to adapt to everything that implies the "new normal";

for example, enable windows that previously always remained closed.

In this way they could guarantee the

natural ventilation of the rooms

.

In this room operate between

4,300 and 4,500 slot machines, also known as slots.

The Puerto Madero floating casino has been closed since March and is among the activities that will return at the end of the reopening plan.

At the racecourse,

the turf activity

returned on August 28, without an audience.

Although the movement of people is limited to a group of workers, coaches and jockeys, they reported that there have been no massive infections.

In favor, the activity is mostly done

outdoors

.

And to take advantage of the meters available on this site, where recitals were even held, the company is organizing the installation of a drive-in theater - there are already eleven in AMBA - and opening the doors so that the neighbors can do sports training or outdoor meetings .

The floating casino, located in

Puerto Madero

, is also affected by the same problem.

Here it affects almost twice as many employees.

And to various guilds, not just those linked to the game.

"If we set an opening horizon for the economic disaster we are experiencing, I think we could deal with this situation with less anguish. But

there is no scheduled date for returning to work

and the situation worries us but it also outrages us, because nobody tells us anything "

Ariel Fassino, from Aleara (Gaming Workers Union)

assured

Clarín

Fassino provides data that broadens the vision of how this situation is affecting the group of workers.

In the Province of Buenos Aires there are also

45 bingo halls

(in the City they are prohibited), with more than 20 thousand workers.

"Some companies are paying

below 75% of total salaries,

for that reason they are denounced in court. It is a problem that worsens as the days go by. And our concern is the downsizing, that companies

end up laying off personnel

That's why we are desperate, trying to be heard, "he explains.

In the Province the situation is similar in the bingo halls, which will not be enabled either until the sanitary situation changes.

On the near horizon there is a question: what happens if the national government discontinues the ATP program?

There are five provinces where the activity in gambling halls was resumed:

Misiones, San Juan, Tucumán, Chubut and Santa Cruz

.

"They are operating with very strict protocols. Massive infections from clients, workers or suppliers have not been reported. This reassures us. We have to start to implement the protocols and

learn to live with this virus,"

said the union leader. 

The City Government explained that they are working on a protocol.

However, they were very strict with the information.

"There is no date of return to activity

and we do not want to create false expectations for families," they said.

During 2019 the City collected 5.7 billion pesos of taxes from gambling;

By law, 70% are allocated to social housing (IVC), health and programs of the Ministry of Human Development and Habitat.

The rest, to the operating expenses of the Buenos Aires Lottery agency.

And so far this year, due to the impact of the pandemic and the quarantine, the City estimates that it stopped collecting, in general,

48,000 million pesos

, 10% of the annual budget.

"We estimate that the recovery of the tax base will require a

3-year

process,

" they

explained.

Diego Quiroga is the head of the Association of Racetracks and Equestrian Agencies, and in dialogue with

Clarín he

explained that the salary of many employees in Palermo is made up of "tips, and work in additional days and hours. It is an extra money in the families, which disappeared from the pockets, that is why we understand that

the average salary fell by 50% ".

Posadas.

Misiones is one of the provinces that allowed the opening of casinos.

Last week they organized a demonstration and went to the headquarters of the Buenos Aires Lottery, in Santiago del Estero at 100, to draw the attention of the authorities.

They presented a protocol -which takes into account the handling of money, the placement of cameras to measure body temperature, and even the link with suppliers, among other items- but basically they mobilized to make themselves seen, to make themselves heard:

"Our scenario it is discouraging

. We are invisible, we do not appear in any opening instance, in any plan. However, thousands of families are waiting to go back to work, "said Quiroga. 

In the context of the situation faced by workers and their families, the Buenos Aires Legislature voted modifications to the online gambling law.

That law, passed in 2018, regulated an Internet gambling market that already existed illegally, with foreign-based websites that were not taxed in the City.

With this rule, the possibility of betting, for example, on the results of soccer matches and other sports was enabled;

and also casino-type games, such as online poker or roulette.


But at that time it was decided that the current gambling operators could not participate in the online mode.

The change has to do with the coronavirus pandemic and quarantine;

From the City they understand that it works as

a kind of compensation

, that is why they promoted the law that was voted by the ruling party and supported by the CC-ARI and Public Trust blocks.

But, as they say from the gaming halls, it is not something that can replace face-to-face activity in the short term.

SC

Source: clarin

All news articles on 2020-10-21

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