Paraguay continues to reform its gambling laws and contracts in line with the directives of President Santiago Peña.
This week, the National Gambling Commission of Paraguay (CONAJZAR), acting under instructions from the Colorado Party government, announced the launch of a historic tender for Quinela Nacional – the country’s popular small lottery draws.
The regulator confirmed it had received an order to “change the management model of Quinela” by allowing up to three new operator licenses to be granted. This reform will put an end to the single-operator system that has been in place for decades.
According to SBC Noticias, this is the first tender in five years. In 2020, CONAJZAR awarded management of Quinela Nacional to TDP (Tecnología en Desarrollo de Paraguay S.A.), a company responsible for overseeing the lottery’s retail network, draw operations, and digital ticket sales.
Tender documents will be available for purchase from November 17 at a price of 100 million guaraníes (approximately €12,500). The new concession system will come into force in January 2026 and will remain valid until 2031. The current operator will continue to manage the lottery until the new licenses are issued early next year.
According to CONAJZAR President Carlos Liseras, Quinela Nacional remains the commission’s main source of income, generating over 9.3 million guaraníes (€1.15 million) per month for the state. This amount is adjusted annually in line with the Consumer Price Index published by the Central Bank of Paraguay.
“The Quiniela is part of Paraguay’s cultural heritage,” Liseras said. “While younger generations are drawn to online games, this reform allows operators to innovate and digitise the Quiniela while maintaining its traditional essence.”
In January 2025, President Santiago Peña received approval to implement a new legal decree regulating the gambling sector. The reform aims to demonopolize the industry, open up competition in the lottery and sports betting markets, and increase the number of licensed operators from one to three.
The decree followed a series of scandals involving CONAJZAR. In 2023–2024, the regulator faced heavy criticism for its mismanagement of a federal sports betting license tender, which was announced to the media without official government approval. The process quickly escalated into legal disputes, as competing bidders claimed that the tender conditions were unfairly favorable to the incumbent operator Daruma Sam, which controls the Aposta.LA retail betting network in Asunción.
To restore trust and transparency in gambling governance, Peña’s reform proposes to transfer oversight of CONAJZAR from the Ministry of Economy and Finance to the National Directorate of Tax Revenue (DNIT).
The significance of the tender carries major political implications. President Peña has tasked the much-criticized CONAJZAR with managing the Quinela Nacional tender – the first gambling asset to be formally demonopolized under his reform agenda.
Successful implementation of the tender is expected to set a precedent for future open competitions – including sports betting licenses, online gambling permits, and the management of Paraguay’s national lottery portfolio.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our Telegram channel!
