The Municipality of Montevideo declared two tenders for Casino Parque Hotel operations unsuccessful and approved short-term contract extensions with ICM to ensure continuity of casino activity.
The measures were formalized through official resolutions and involve a combined outlay of UYU 9,6m ($248,000).
The failed tenders covered the rental of slot machines and the provision of casino management software at the Parque Rodó venue. With no bids submitted in either process, municipal authorities opted to extend the existing agreements with ICM for three months starting January 1, 2026.
According to the resolutions, the first tender sought to lease between 100 and 150 slot machines for a four-year term. After the initial call failed in December 2024, the municipality modified the technical requirements to allow that only half of the machines be new equipment and reopened the process.
Despite the changes, no proposals were received. As a result, the municipality approved a three-month extension of the slot machine rental contract with ICM for UYU 6.5m.
The second tender concerned the acquisition of casino or slot floor management software. While municipal resolutions referenced the failed procurement process, no public record of the tender was readily identifiable on the State Procurement Regulatory Agency’s platform. The municipality nonetheless approved a three-month extension of the software contract with ICM for approximately UYU 3.4m.
Municipal authorities cited operational continuity and the need to maintain a varied slot machine offering as justification for the extensions. Casino Parque Hotel reported a deficit in 2024, prompting renewed political debate over its future. Opposition members within the departmental legislature have called for the venue’s closure, while the city government favors transferring the casino to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Camilo Benítez, Director of Economic Development for the Municipality of Montevideo, told local media that plans remain in place for the casino’s transfer to national government administration by mid-2026.
ICM has maintained contractual ties with the municipality since 2002, providing slot machine purchases, rentals, maintenance and software services with limited interruptions. Several of those contracts have previously received observations from the Court of Accounts.
Although another supplier, Famostar, briefly shared slot machine rentals during the past decade, ICM has remained involved in every slot and software agreement at Casino Parque Hotel since 2002.
Several of ICM’s contract renewals with the Municipality of Montevideo have previously received observations from Uruguay’s Court of Accounts, although the agreements remained in force under municipal approval
