Supplier News
Chile – Ovalle Casino opens doors to the public
By Phil - 22 August 2016
The Ovalle Casino Resort S.A has received more than 3,000 visitors during its opening weekend.
The new casino opened its doors to the public on Saturday (August 13) at 11.am ahead of the September 4 deadline.
The casino is authorised to operate for fifteen years and features 230 slot machines 13 gaming tables and 60 bingo seats. Total investment in the project stands at US$50m, making it one of the highest private investments ever in the history of Ovalle. Both the municipality of Ovalle and the regional government of Coquimbo will share 20 per cent of gross gaming revenue.
Work on the project began in late 2014, creating more than 300 local jobs and will ultimately create more than 1500 jobs. The company was granted an extension for September 2016 for the opening of the casino while the rest of the facilities are scheduled to be up and running in March 2017. The complex will eventually consist of a 78 room four star luxury hotel, four restaurants, an open air amphitheatre as well as a museum, a wine spa and an observatory.
The casino’s general manager Juan Almagro said that the group’s interest in investing in Ovalle matched the goals as set out by both the local and regional governments and that the new casino complex would help develop the region as tourist destination in a sustainable manner while reflecting the values of the local people.
Representatives of the Spanish Argentine group Ovalle Casino Resort SA (Boldt from Argentina and Grupo Peralada from Spain) won the rights to operate the final (non municipal) casino licence in Chile in September 2013. The awarding of the licence ended a yearlong process during which Ovalle Casino Resort had gradually emerged as firm favourites to win. The group scored a total of 1,825.79 points out of a possible 2,000 points which were available during the tender process after Casino Austria, which initially owned the licence, abandoned the project in 2012.
