Chile's gambling sector faced renewed regulatory and legal pressure this week, as an appeals court ordered the suspension of nighttime rooftop events at Enjoy Casino in Viña del Mar while authorities in Concepción continued a campaign against illegal gambling venues.
The Second Chamber of the Court of Appeals of Valparaíso ordered the immediate suspension of nighttime rooftop parties at Enjoy Casino in Viña del Mar, ruling that the events violated residents' constitutional rights to rest and to live in a pollution-free environment.
The court accepted a protection action filed by residents of the Isamar building and other nearby communities on Avenida San Martín. The complaint focused on parties held on the casino's fourth-floor east terrace, which residents said made normal sleep impossible.
Judges found that the activity affected the physical and psychological wellbeing of nearby residents and ordered the cessation of nighttime noise emissions and the use of sound equipment during restricted hours. The Municipality of Viña del Mar was instructed to oversee compliance with the ruling.
The lawyer representing the residents argued that, because the case involved constitutional rights, it was not necessary to provide specific noise measurements. Local councilors Nancy Díaz and José Tomás Bartolucci welcomed the decision, saying commercial activities must remain compatible with residents' quality of life.
The ruling marks the latest legal setback for Enjoy Casino. In October 2025, the same court ordered the property to switch off illuminated advertising screens and install physical barriers to mitigate light pollution affecting the same area.
In a separate development, municipal authorities in Concepción shut down another illegal gambling venue this week, seizing 29 slot machines and detaining one individual who was found to have an outstanding arrest warrant.
César Bobadilla, Concepción's Director of Public Security, said the latest operation brings the total number of slot machines seized in the city's enforcement campaign to nearly 900. Authorities have also closed 12 illegal casinos in the city centre through 11 separate operations.
The crackdown forms part of a broader effort targeting illegal gambling operations in Concepción, which resulted in the seizure of more than 1,500 machines and 19 arrests.
The Enjoy ruling follows a separate October 2025 court order requiring the casino to address light pollution complaints from residents in the same neighborhood
