GAT Expo Cartagena 2025: Fernando Calderón, SONAJA´s President, explains everything you need to know about gaming regulation in Peru

To begin, Fernando Calderón, president of the National Gaming Society (SONAJA), explained that the purpose of this conference is to "share regionally what is happening in the Peruvian market as a result of the new legislation on online agreements and also what is happening as a result of this formalization."

He added "Let's start by talking about the legislation for live and online transactions, the online formalization process, and system adjustments. In fact, currently in Peru, there are 691 registered establishments operating nationwide and authorized by the General Directorate of Coin Manufacturing. Of these 691 establishments, it's important to mention that the limit we reached was 740. After the pandemic, when 100% of the establishments were closed, it was the maximum we could manage, given the state's conditions for further opening."

He also noted “We weren't the first, nor were we the middle, but we were finally able to open, and currently there are 691 locations nationwide. Within these 691 locations, we have 71,222 authorized slot machines, and 256 of those were also authorized nationwide. At our peak, we had 87,000 authorized slot machines .”

About the consumer

"There's a struggle over the consumer issue. We have a local consumer, and in some places we have a consumer, especially on the borders, in the south, in the north, and in Lima, which is the capital of the Villaflores district, we have a number of tourists who go to the establishments there. There are changes in consumer behavior. Definitely, the consumer in Peru, who visits physical establishments, no longer gambles as much as they used to, they no longer go out late at night as they used to, and their economic purchasing power has decreased."

"Inflation is affecting the Peruvian player's pocketbook. Why isn't it coming out until so late? Because there are security issues that the country hasn't been able to address politically, and that's why it's important for all sectors to be integrated and interconnected, seeking solutions where everyone involved is involved at the moment of the decision."


 

 About the selective consumption tax

“The socioeconomic situation is also an important factor. And finally, we have the problem of the poorly designed excise tax.   This excise tax, which directly targets operating income, not the end consumer, is actually impacting businesses' ability to invest in their businesses and provide the best service. And this will be seen over the years . This is extremely important because it was detrimental, and it was very poorly designed, and it won't end well.”

On the danger of illegal gambling

"It's very important that we're all aligned, because in Peru we're beginning to suffer the consequences of potentially increasing illegal online gambling. In Peru, a registry of suppliers was created, and they've already notified the suppliers and platforms that if they work with operators not registered, they could lose their supplier licenses. Suppliers are being notified to avoid working with illegal sites."

To finish

 "In conclusion, in the Peruvian State, we currently face a major challenge with our Ministry of Economy and Finance to ensure that the tax on online and remote gambling is adequately paid, and that the consumption target for online and offline gambling can be reviewed, canceled, or modified. This activity is very important; in Peru, it has helped us a lot with artists, restaurants and their culinary culture, with all the direct jobs, with sports, with handicrafts, now with the tax on online gambling, and also with mental health . ”

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