CONAJZAR – Comisión Nacional de Juegos de Azar

Role and Structure

CONAJZAR is Paraguay's sole gambling regulator, a role defined by Law No. 1.016/1997 and modernized by Law No. 7.438/2025. Until 2025 it reported to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF); since the reform it operates as an administrative dependency of the National Directorate of Tax Revenue (DNIT), leveraging the tax authority's technical capacity to strengthen oversight of both licensed and illegal gambling operations. The commission is a collegial body composed of five representatives from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of the Interior, the Directorate of Beneficence (DIBEN), and delegates from provincial governors and municipalities. The president, Carlos Liseras, serves as executive head.

Regulatory Functions and Market Scope

CONAJZAR's primary duties include drafting and approving tender documents for national gaming concessions, organizing public bids, adjudicating licenses, calculating fiscal distribution, and proposing senior regulatory candidates to the Executive Branch. It oversees a wide range of game modalities: Quiniela (numbers lottery), land-based and online casinos, bingo, telebingo, sports betting, horse and greyhound racing, and 'Combinaciones Aleatorias' (promotional random draws known as 'chance'). The commission does not operate any games itself; all regulated verticals are run by licensed private concessionaires.

Landmark 2025 Reforms

The enactment of Law No. 7.438/2025 and its regulatory decree No. 3.846/2025 marked the most significant overhaul of Paraguayan gambling law in decades. The legislation ended the state monopoly on Quiniela, allowing up to three private operators to obtain licenses through competitive bidding. It also equipped CONAJZAR with powerful enforcement tools: the authority to seize and destroy illegal equipment, cancel domain names and transmissions of unlicensed online gambling sites, and refer criminal cases to the Public Prosecutor's Office. President Carlos Liseras publicly emphasized that the reforms aim to increase transparency, strengthen controls, and maximize state revenue.

Fiscal Model and Revenue

Gaming tax collection follows a defined distribution: 30% goes to DIBEN (the state welfare agency), 30% is shared among municipalities, and the remaining 40% funds central government social programs in health, education, and welfare. In 2025, CONAJZAR reported annual revenue of G. 215,940 million (approximately USD 28 million), a 22.8% year-on-year increase. The fiscal model is designed to support social spending while incentivizing municipal cooperation in enforcement.

Enforcement and Challenges

Despite its regulatory framework, Paraguay has faced persistent illegal gambling, particularly from online casinos operating abroad. CONAJZAR has adopted active measures to block unlicensed websites, coordinate with the Public Prosecutor's Office for criminal prosecutions, and seize unauthorized equipment. The commission has also announced a project to further update the 1997 law to address new gaming modalities and digital platforms, ensuring the regulatory framework keeps pace with technological change.

International Participation

CONAJZAR has been a regular member of CIELAE (Corporación Iberoamericana de Loterías y Apuestas del Estado) for more than twenty years, actively participating in regional efforts to harmonize gambling regulation and share best practices among Ibero-American lottery and betting authorities. The commission's headquarters are located at Leonismo Paraguayo N° 330 esquina Dr. Bestard, Barrio Manorá, Asunción.