Employees at Casino del Río in Viedma, Río Negro province, publicly denounced recent layoffs, labor harassment and frozen wages.
According to them, the change is linked to deteriorating conditions, a change in management, and a shift in the venue's weekend activity toward parties and nighttime events rather than traditional casino gaming.
The workers, employed by operator Emprendimientos Crown SA, said recent dismissals were made without sufficient explanation to staff. They said wages have not kept pace with inflation, forcing some employees to request salary advances to cover household expenses before the end of the month.
At the same time, the company increased spending on advertising, promotions and influencer campaigns.
Employees also reported incidents of violence and substance use during some weekend events, which they said have altered the venue's usual clientele and working environment. They questioned the current management's experience in casino operations, arguing it has prioritized mass events and promotional activity over the venue's traditional gaming business.
The workers called for more active intervention from Río Negro's Secretaría de Trabajo and from Lotería de Río Negro, the provincial authority that regulates gaming activity in the province, requesting inspections during event hours to verify operating conditions.
They argued that if the venue functions similarly to a nightclub on weekends, it should face comparable controls. They also linked their claims to the closure of the Casino del balneario El Cóndor, which they said also affected employment in the sector.
The Viedma complaint follows a broader dispute that began in August 2026, when Casino del Río employees across several Río Negro cities, including Cipolletti, General Roca, Choele Choel, Villa Regina, Las Grutas, Cinco Saltos and Catriel, declared a state of alert over wage and labor conditions and expressed support for the Viedma staff.
Workers have raised similar complaints about layoffs and working conditions at the venue since shortly after it opened in 2024.
Casino del Río Viedma is part of a larger entertainment and tourism complex that includes a five-star hotel with 56 rooms and capacity for 112 guests, as well as restaurants, event spaces and convention facilities
