Bolivia Casinos
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With location in the heart of South America, Bolivia’s Atacama Desert, Amazon Basin rainforests, the Marco Etcheverry, fluctuated landscape crossing Andes Mountains, the Andes’ Altiplano level, snow-topped Mt. Illimani, and the continent’s biggest lake and glass-smooth Lake Titicaca – combined with its captivating gambling industry makes the nation a standout amongst the most enchanting nations in the entire world.
History of Casinos in Bolivia
The beginning of Bolivia’s history has ties specifically to the period when the Inca Empire conquered most of the Lake Titicaca and the Aymara people’s territory known today as the Plurinational State of Bolivia. During the 16th century, Spanish explorers took control of the entire region. Amid this era of the Spanish colonial influence, the nation was managed by the Royal Audiencia of Charcas and officially called Upper Peru because it was a self-governing area reliant on the Viceroyalty of Peru. Bolivia's story is quite intriguing.
1809 marked the first year the nation took a significant step to gain full independence from the Spanish. An independence conflict persisted from 1809 to 1825; disorder, countless fatalities, and massive clashes were to illustrate it. Thanks to local liberators Simón Bolívar and Antonio Jose de Sucre, eventually the nation secured full independence from Spain on August 6, 1825. The nation was then renamed Bolivia as an acknowledgment of Simón Bolívar’s contributions.
Following its complete independence, the nation was very uninvolved and indifferent towards any form of gambling activities or establishments. In the 1930s, however, the initial governmental system shifted to a socialist framework and gambling was, eventually, prohibited. The prohibition was implemented in 1938 and made Bolivia officially gambling-free. Despite the restriction, nonetheless, unauthorized gambling activities existed within the nation. Especially, bingo venues were incredibly popular amongst Bolivians and there were more than 200 of them throughout the country. Bolivian gambling history is fascinating.
The year 1996 transformed the landscape. The administration decided to initiate licensing and regulating bingo halls, and more than 200 bingo venues were provided licenses in that year. Other places offering gambling activities in the nation then were unsanctioned, unlicensed, and unregulated. It was a controversial decision.
In 2002, casinos were also awarded licenses to legally conduct casino operations. Consequently, a wave of local and foreign financiers became intrigued by the nation’s gambling sector. Nonetheless, the gambling industry faced a drastic nationwide decline. This downturn resulted from the nation’s fresh tax system. According to the system, 30 percent of a casino’s gross revenues are taxed and 70 percent of the tax is allocated to the Federal Government. Furthermore, the casino patrons are taxed 15 percent as quickly as they place a bet or purchase a chip.
Moving forward, in alignment with the nation’s emerging gambling industry, the Authority of Taxation and Social Control Over Gaming Board was established in 2007 as the regulatory entity overseeing all gambling issues within the nation. In addition to the country’s promising gambling situation, another rationale for the formation of the Authority of Taxation and Social Control Over Gaming Board eliminated the notorious corruption of the National Lottery Commission of Charity and Health.
Lottery, conversely, is exceedingly popular in Bolivia. The lottery sphere was made renowned because it has been supporting a variety of services of Bolivia’s health sector since 1871. Furthermore, bingo held the greatest portion of gambling participation in Bolivia until 2011 when Evo Morales – the President of Bolivia – mandated all bingo venues within the nation to close indefinitely. Concurrently, the Bolivian administration is incredibly stringent about gambling throughout the nation, so any casino or any other gambling facility that is not licensed and regulated by the Authority of Taxation and Social Control Over Gaming Board is entirely illegal.
Current Gambling Climate
As discussed earlier, casinos are legal in Bolivia. Still, not every casino in the country runs legally. In fact, there is a number of illicit casinos within this part of South America. The Authority of Taxation and Social Control Over Gaming Board handles everything related to gambling activities and facilities within the country. This means, the Board licenses, regulates, monitors, audits and secures the gambling facilities and activities of Bolivia.
Further, there is a total number of six casinos currently operating in Bolivia. Bolivia, as a country, is lovely and – like other South American countries – a tourist-friendly destination with friendly citizens. The gambling environment, particularly, is just as appealing. However, due to Bolivia’s heavy tax system, it is recommended that visitors and tourists in the country place wagers in offshore casinos.
Casinos in Bolivia by Area
Unlike other South American countries, all six Bolivian casinos are located in a single area: the capital city of Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Santa Cruz de la Sierra is the most commercially successful city in the whole Bolivia. Lastly, the largest gambling facility in Bolivia is Casino Flamingo.
Types of Casinos in Bolivia
First, bingo I’d the most popular form of gambling throughout the length and breadth of the country. Unfortunately, all bingo halls were closed in 2011, which resulted from a presidential decree. Also, bingo was a monopolized industry in Bolivia because Bahiti’s Club owned all those bingo halls – exactly 16 – in Trinidad, Cochabamba, Santa Cruz, Sucre, Tarija, and La Paz.
Casinos are available – six in total – but not as popular as bingo halls. Most casinos offer gaming machines and table games which include traditional bingo, roulette, blackjack, video bingo, baccarat, Caribbean Stud poker, video poker, and some electronic games. Besides, most casinos are either standalone casinos or parts of large hotels.
Woefully, there are no racinos or racing tracks within the country. Moreover, there is a lottery in the country (listed with the casinos): Juegos De Loteria Lotex S.A. Online gambling, on the other hand, is not regulated in Bolivia. Still, Bolivian natives, residents and tourists can access offshore online gambling websites without being persecuted.
List of Casinos in Bolivia
Below is a list of all casinos currently operating in the regions of Bolivia.
- Casino Flamingo
- Cine Center Digital 4K
- Curucusí – Games S.R.L.
- Golden Horse
- Juegos De Loteria Lotex S.A.
- Max Entertainment S.R.L.
Facts About Casinos in Bolivia
– In Bolivia, the minimum gambling age is 18 years.
– Since bingo is popular in Bolivia, the majority of Bolivians now play bingo games on the Internet.
– Some casinos in Bolivia make money by selling harmful drugs.
– From 1938 until 1996, gambling was entirely restricted in Bolivia.
– In 2009, Russian casinos fled the country for Bolivia.
– Poker and sports betting are two of the most ignored forms of gambling in Bolivia.
– All gambling facilities and activities within the country are monitored by the Authority of Taxation and Social Control Over Gaming Board.
– In 2017, the Authority of Taxation and Social Control Over Gaming Board asked the Federal Government to grant the power to regulate online casinos, bookmakers, and lottery operators.
– The Authority of Taxation and Social Control Over Gaming Board is officially the Autoridad de Fiscalización y Control Social del Juego (AJ) – created in 2007.
– In 2011, 16 Bahiti’s Club bingo halls were closed down and the executives were arrested and jailed because of tax violations.
– Bolivia has one of the highest gambling tax percentages in the entire world.
– The lottery industry has been around since 1871.