Operator News
Chile – New licence in Chile following Termas de Chillan annulment
By Phil - 17 December 2013
The Resolution Council of the Chilean Gaming Control Board (SCJ) has announced that starting in January 2014 it will begin the licensing process for a new casino after Termas de Chillan withdrew from the market in 2013.
The SJC officially accepted Termas de Chillan’s withdrawal in November after the operator blamed bad market conditions as well as the location of the casino for its decision to close.
The number of visitors to the casino had been steadily dropping from 16,082 in 2010 to 12,101 in 2012. The casino, located in a ski resort and popular tourist destination in the Bío Bío region was first granted a license in 2017 and its license was valid until 2022.The poor results derived partly from the fact that the casino was located in what is primarily a ski resort and as a result visitors were seasonal.
In January 2005 the Chilean Government allowed for the construction of eighteen additional casinos to the seven casinos already in operation. Chile’s gaming law of 2006 ruled that casinos must be part of a four of five star hotels and that those casinos are part of a wider package that would promote tourism in the area.
Operators may now offer their tender provided that the project is not located in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, is not in a region which already has three casinos and is not located within 70 km from another already existing casino. It is unlikely that the new casino will be built in the same region as before due to the problems encountered with the area by the previous licence holder.
The SJC has announced that the Resolution Council will evaluate proposals put forward by operators and will announce its final decision by the end of July 2014.
