Buenos Aires casino workers' benefit fund hits 25-year low as spending slumps

The Caja de Empleados, a welfare fund for casino workers in Buenos Aires province that depends on gambling revenue, has dropped to its weakest collection figures in a quarter-century, the Asociación de Empleados de Casinos Nacionales (AECN) reports.

Union leaders tie the slump to Argentina's ongoing recession and the squeeze on household budgets. AECN president Marcos Labrador said the fund's intake now sits at levels not seen since the country's 2001 financial collapse. "This is not just a statistic; it is a concrete sign of the severity of the economic situation facing Argentine workers," he added.

Because the fund is financed by provincial casino activity, its performance tracks consumer behavior, the union noted. Labrador argued that wages no longer cover essentials, forcing many families to take on debt. With income going toward food, rent, utilities and repayments, there is little left for entertainment, which keeps casino turnover down.

AECN also takes issue with the provincial administration's response. While economic policy is set nationally, Buenos Aires still has a duty to back the sector, in the union's view, and could do so by modernizing casino operations.

The union is repeating a long-standing request—made for roughly 18 months—for casinos to adopt electronic payments and QR-based transactions. Such a step would not cure the wider drop in consumer demand, AECN said, but it would provide a quick boost to state coffers and worker earnings.

The latest complaints come after months of labor unrest, including strike warnings earlier this year and a mandatory conciliation process in an unrelated April dispute.