The Superintendency of Casino Gaming (SCJ) has reopened the tender for two casino operating permits in Chile, one reserved for the Aysén Region and another available nationally.
The decision came after declaring the previous processes for Coyhaique and Ancud unsuccessful in January.
The SCJ’s Resolutive Council terminated the evaluation of three applications after finding that the applicants had not fully met the legal and regulatory requirements set out in the tender rules.
Río Simpson and Casino de Juegos Coyhaique had applied for the Coyhaique permit, while Sociedad Mirador Hueihuén sought the opportunity in Ancud, in the Los Lagos Region.
The applications were rejected before technical scores were assigned or economic offers were opened.
The Aysén permit is linked to the expiration of the existing concession held by Casino de Juegos Coyhaique, which operates Casino Dreams Coyhaique.
The national permit is associated with the concession held by Rantrur for its casino in Castro, in the Los Lagos Region. Both permits are due to expire in 2027.
Interested companies have 120 business days to prepare and submit their technical and economic offers. The submission hearing is scheduled for April 2027, and following the hearing, the regulator will have a further 120 business days to evaluate the technical proposals.
The technical assessment will follow the criteria set out in the tender rules, including compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and the evaluation of the proposed projects. Only applications that meet the applicable requirements can proceed through the licensing process.
The new tender comes amid a challenging period for casino licensing in Chile. In August, the SCJ declared the two Puerto Varas processes unsuccessful after finding that neither applicant had fully met the legal and regulatory requirements.
The applications had been submitted by Inversiones y Turismo Puerto Varas and Sociedad Quiquilhue.
Other recent tenders have also drawn limited interest. In August, the SCJ received one application each for Coquimbo and Pucón, while no bids were submitted for Iquique or Viña del Mar.
The regulator said it would have to initiate new processes for the latter two locations and establish revised conditions for those tenders.
In addition, Dreams and Marina del Sol argued that some requirements made the projects less attractive to bidders, including the investment obligations associated with certain permits.
Under Chilean casino rules, each region can host between one and three casinos, none may operate in the Metropolitan Region, and every casino must be at least 70 km from another
