Paraguay’s Senate has begun examining government-backed legislation that would establish an autonomous gambling regulator in place of the National Gambling Commission (CONAJZAR), with a sharper mandate over online betting and illegal gambling. The proposed body would be called the National Directorate of Gambling (Dirección Nacional de Juegos de Azar, or DINAJZAR).
The Executive submitted the 72-article bill to the Senate. If passed, it would repeal Laws 1,016/1997 and 7,438/2025 and establish a new legal framework for gambling in the country.
Central to the reform is institutional independence. DINAJZAR would have greater institutional and budgetary autonomy than CONAJZAR, which currently operates under the National Directorate of Tax Revenue (DNIT). Under the bill, the new directorate would hold its own budgetary autonomy and functional independence while maintaining its relationship with the Executive through the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Five per cent of relevant gambling revenues would be allocated to the regulator’s operating budget.
For operators, the most consequential provision is the creation of a new licensing system for online gambling, with 26 licences to be made available through a competitive tender.
The bill also calls for a national register of those involved in gambling promotion — including influencers — as well as of companies supplying equipment or software. A new department dedicated to combating gambling addiction and promoting responsible gambling would be established under the legislation.
A joint meeting of Senate committees was held on 26 October, bringing together lawmakers and representatives of the government and the gambling industry to discuss improving regulatory capacity and tackling the growth of illegal gambling.
Senator Luis Pettengill told the meeting that CONAJZAR currently had just 12 employees responsible for overseeing gambling throughout the country, leaving it with insufficient administrative and budgetary resources to carry out effective inspections. He also warned of inadequate controls over access to gambling by minors, and noted that the existing legal framework dated from 1997 and had not kept pace with technological developments.
CONAJZAR president Carlos Liseras said monthly sector revenue had increased from approximately G.12bn to G.21bn. He argued that the proposed institutional changes would give the regulator the resources and powers needed to expand supervision and combat unlicensed operations.
The reform follows changes introduced under Law 7,438/2025, which brought CONAJZAR under the DNIT. In October, the DNIT approved a new organisational structure for its gambling directorate covering supervision, technical and regulatory matters, concessions and legal advice — a restructuring that the new bill would supersede by standing the regulator up as a separate authority.
Senate committees are continuing to examine the proposal. Following the 26 October meeting, Pettengill said lawmakers expected to work towards a more developed and consensual text within 15 days. The bill is not yet law, and its passage through the legislature will determine whether Paraguay’s licensing and enforcement conditions change materially for operators and suppliers active in the Southern Cone.
This article was produced with AI assistance and reviewed under the GamblingZine editorial verification process.
Sources
- Paraguay advances plans for autonomous gambling regulator — Independent reporting (published 2026-11-02)
- g3newswire.com — Authoritative secondary source
- g3newswire.com — Authoritative secondary source
Reporting verified against the sources above; retrieval timestamps are preserved in the editorial record.