The Court of Appeals of Talca is reviewing a request to suspend construction of the Dreams Casino Talca project.
The motion follows allegations that excavation work exceeds authorized depths and could damage a protected urban wetland in central Chile.
The court received a petition for an Order of Non-Innovation to halt construction on the Parque Ferial del Maule project, operated by Sociedad de Rios Claros, the company behind Dreams Casino Talca. The filing includes a notarial certificate requested by the company itself documenting excavations reaching depths of approximately three meters, substantially exceeding the information previously submitted to Chile's Environmental Assessment Service (SEA).
According to the legal submission, this discrepancy represents a critical environmental risk factor. The excavations are being conducted at minimal distance from the water table, potentially affecting the Cajon del Rio Claro and Estero Piduco Urban Wetland, an ecosystem sustained by groundwater sources.
The petition warns that continued construction could result in irreversible damage, rendering any future court resolution ineffective. The filing argues that if work proceeds, a final ruling could arrive after environmental damage is already complete, emphasizing the need for immediate precautionary measures.
The case carries additional weight because the same court previously ruled on wetland protection in the area. In an earlier decision, the Court of Appeals recognized the wetland's legal and environmental value, ordering the Municipality of Talca to enact a protection ordinance and actively exercise oversight authority. That ruling established a clear standard for interventions in sensitive zones.
The court must now determine whether the new evidence warrants suspending construction while the substance of the appeal is evaluated. The decision could establish a relevant precedent for environmental protection measures, particularly in cases where discrepancies exist between information declared to authorities and actual field operations.
The Dreams Casino Talca project forms part of a larger development initiative in the Maule Region. The environmental concerns center on potential impacts to groundwater systems that sustain the protected wetland ecosystem.
Chilean environmental regulations require projects with significant environmental impacts to undergo assessment through the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA).
The Court of Appeals of Talca has not announced a timeline for its ruling on the suspension request.
Construction of the Dreams Casino Talca project began in late August 2025, with the complex originally scheduled to open in November 2026
