Chile's Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ) has backed the conditions established for the new tender to operate Casino de Viña del Mar.
The regulator's position aligns with an earlier assessment by the Fiscalía Nacional Económica (FNE), which also endorsed provisions including a minimum guaranteed economic offer, equipment implementation deadlines and a requirement to retain all current casino employees.
The conditions had been challenged before the Tribunal de Defensa de la Libre Competencia (TDLC) by operators Dreams and Marina del Sol following Enjoy's early exit from the concession as part of its judicial reorganization process.
Enjoy renounced its operating permits for the casinos of Viña del Mar, Coquimbo and Pucón in 2025. Marina del Sol had argued that the bases could breach competitive neutrality standards and specifically challenged a three-month deadline to launch operations in Viña del Mar following an award. The TDLC briefly suspended the tender process in mid-June before lifting the suspension in early July, and the FNE opened its own review of the tender's competitive conditions.
Diego Valerio, President of the Federación Nacional de Sindicatos de Casinos de Juegos y Hoteles de Chile and of the Casino de Viña del Mar workers' union, said the technical reports confirm that requiring job continuity in casino tender terms is viable and proportional.
Municipal councilor José Tomás Bartolucci noted that Enjoy is banned from bidding in the new process, meaning any interested operator would compete under equal conditions.
Councilor Sandro Puebla said casino revenue represents about 30% of the Municipality of Viña del Mar's own income.
According to the SCJ, a one-year vacancy in the concession could result in an economic impact of about CLP46.8bn in lost revenue for the municipality, the regional government and the national treasury.
Casino de Viña del Mar is Chile's oldest casino, having operated since 1930, and is one of the country's highest-grossing gaming venues
