"Casino Iguazu will enter Brazil with great investments after legalization"

Gustavo Barcha, 37, married, Brazilian and born in São Paulo. Graduated in Business Administration from FAAP. Representative of Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Venetian Las Vegas, Four Seasons Carmelo and 11 years at Casino Iguazu. From 2006 to 2016 Barcha was Executive Marketing, and since April he is Manager Player Development Brazil.

GMB - Tell us a little about the trajectory of Casino Iguazu. How did it gett to the status of one of the most important casinos in Argentina and what are the main projects for the future…
Gustavo Barcha - In 1994, the state of Misiones decided to privatize the casino and was acquired by the British company Mirage. The ancients owners sought a new location to set up the casino, and moved strategically meters from the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, which connects the city of Puerto Iguazú with Foz do Iguaçu (Brazil).

In 1998, Iguazu Casino built an exclusive hotel to accommodate its players, and that’s how the Iguazu Grand was born, a luxury building of only 61 suites to host our most exclusive visitors.

In 1999, the company was bought by a US company that in 2002 sold it to the current owners, HCI S.A, which transformed the hotel into the Iguazu Grand Hotel, for tourists in general. The group made major renovations and investments and made it one of the most luxurious, prestigious and popular casinos in Latin America.

A few years later, the same company opened a room of "slots" in downtown Iguaçu, "Central Cafe". Panoramic Hotel Iguazú with its original Casino and Casino Wanda, a gaming room and restaurant.

Casino Iguazu has just turned 23, with a big party, show of the singer Fábio Jr. and the 1st. Poker Master Tournament Stage. The casino is located in Argentina, in a region known as the Triple Frontier (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay) and next to the Iguaçu Falls, recently recognized as one of the 7 natural wonders of the planet. There are 1,200 square meters of glamorous ambiance with 30 game tables - roulette, blackjack, baccarat, poker and dice - and 400 video gaming machines - video poker, slot machines, roulette and bingo. The casino for its proximity to the main capitals of Brazil is one of the main destinations for those who seek fun and excitement. For the future we intend to renovate our facilities, seeking to maintain luxury and glamor but with all new technologies to optimize and keep the casino up to date. We intend to maintain an aggressive schedule of poker, roulette and baccarat tournaments. Casino Iguazu wants to be always the best and main destination for Brazilians.

In June we had our SUPER HIGH ROLLER tournament with a prize guaranteed by Casino Iguazu of US$ 500,000. It was the biggest tournament ever made in the Casino and in Argentina, we got an award of almost US$ 1,000,000.00. In addition, we will have the second SUPER HIGH ROLLER at the Casino in November and it will certainly be even bigger ... and this time the champion besides the prize will take from the Casino Iguazu a ROLEX DAYTONA gold rose.

In August, Casino Iguazu will host a round of the WSOP, the largest poker tournament in the world. How was the negotiation with the organizers of the event until confirmation of the venue? What are the expectations for the event?
In August we will have the WSOP at the Iguazú Casino, it will be the first stage of the WSOP in Argentina. We were very proud and happy to be chosen to host one of the biggest poker events in the world.

Expectations are very high. We expect to receive a large number of players from all over the world, but mainly Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. We are moving the entire economy of the city, as all hotels are being used to host this large number of players in search of this great challenge.

Speaking about Brazil, what is your opinion about the process of gaming legalization in the country? What steps do the supporters need to take to help speed up the progress of the congressional projects?
My opinion is that we should legalize the games in Brazil, we must do this as soon as possible so we can develop this business market where it can contribute to the resumption of the country's growth; generating jobs, taxes and large investments in infrastructure, hotels and entertainment. We, who are the supporters of legalization, must charge and press for the projects to move as quickly as possible.

In relation to casinos, which of the two projects in process would bring a better operation for the sector, the bill of the House or the Senate? What needs to be improved on each of them?
The two projects, both the Camara and the Senate, have their strengths and their negative points .... I think they should create only one project seeking the best points of each of them. It seems to me that the Senate bill is more complete and more in line with the interests of the gaming/casino market.

We, at Casino Iguazu, are very attentive to all the movement of gaming legalization in Brazil, and we will certainly be present in this market, making great investments and seeking to continue the success story of this large group.

In the last BgC event you participated in a panel talking about the loyalty of VIP players to the casinos. How important is the player profile in the future Brazilian casino market?
The BgC is a wonderful event, created by Clarion Events, where it is possible to gather many professionals and groups interested in the legalization of gaming in Brazil, where we can exchange ideas, discuss projects and advance in this great project and market ... I had the honor and the pleasure of attending this last event as a speaker. Once we have the legalization of casinos, Brazil will open a virgin market for 220 million Brazilians, with enormous potential. Of course if the big operators of international casinos are present, Brazil will be the main destination of many players from all over the world.

In the same panel, we noticed that you and the other two participants have youth as a point in common. In a future regulated casino market in Brazil, what will be the importance of having younger people in command positions like you and your BGC panel mates?
After the legalization of casinos in Brazil, we will need many experienced professionals already in the industry. I already have 18 years of experience working in casinos all over the world, especially in the field of Marketing and Player Development and I am looking to be updating myself to be prepared for this great challenge and the great opportunities that will be created. Our Casino Iguazu groupwill be for sure one of the casino operators in Brazil, and we will have a great advantage for already having the knowledge and experience of working with Brazilians.

Source: GMB Exclusive