The Association of National Casino Employees (AECN) has warned that the Employees’ Fund supporting workers in Buenos Aires Province casinos has fallen to its lowest level in 25 years, raising concerns over the long-term sustainability of one of the industry's most important wage supplements and highlighting the structural changes reshaping Argentina’s land-based gaming sector.
The warning was issued by Marcos Labrador, president of the Association of National Casino Employees (AECN), who argued that the fund no longer reflects today's operating environment and requires urgent modernization. Unlike a pension scheme, the Employees’ Fund is financed primarily through tips and other gaming-related income generated inside casino properties, providing an additional source of earnings for thousands of employees.
According to the union, the deterioration results from several converging factors, including the sharp decline in cash transactions, the widespread adoption of electronic payments and digital wallets, technological changes across casino floors and the growing expansion of regulated online gambling, which the association believes has diverted part of customer spending away from traditional venues. Together, these trends have significantly reduced the revenues feeding the fund, pushing it to its weakest position since the early 2000s.
The issue affects employees working at casinos operated by the Buenos Aires Provincial Lottery and Casino Institute (IPLyC), headed by Gonzalo Atanasof. Properties impacted include Casino Central Mar del Plata, Casino Hermitage, Casino Sasso, Casino Miramar, Casino Tandil, Casino Necochea, Casino Mar de Ajó and Casino Sierra de la Ventana, among other provincial venues.
The warning comes while the IPLyC continues implementing a broad modernization strategy that includes new concession processes and investment commitments estimated at around AR$40 billion to renovate casino infrastructure across Buenos Aires Province. At the same time, labour negotiations between the institute and casino unions have focused on wage adjustments, working conditions and the future impact of digital gaming on employment.
AECN argues that updating the Employees’ Fund has become essential to preserve workers’ purchasing power in a rapidly changing gaming industry. The union is calling for new funding mechanisms, the adaptation of the benefit system to electronic payment models and greater participation in discussions surrounding the expansion of online gambling, warning that failure to reform the scheme could further weaken one of the sector’s longest-standing labour benefits.
