Chilean Casino License Renewed for Luckia
Luckia Gaming Group, a Spanish casino operator also working in Chile, has recently received a renewal of its license for Casino Antay de Copiapó. The group’s president José González Fuentes shared the news with local media La Nostalgica this week. He celebrated the news, which came six weeks after a hearing by Chile’s Superintendence of Gaming Casinos (SCJ) to determine whether there would be a new operator.
The operator Luckia has recently won its big to renew a license for a casino in Chile. Michał Parzuchowski/Unsplash
Luckia’s journey to license renewal
Luckia has operated the casino for a total of 14 years already. Luckia’s president took the news as a reflection that the casino’s operation has been successful during this time period. The operating company also managed to weather the storms of Covid-19, which brought much uncertainty to the industry over the last couple of years.
SCJ confirmed that Luckia will now hold the renewed license until 2038, where it likely would go through a similar process of bidding. Usually when lottery or casino licenses come up for public bids, interested operators must make a proposal to show why they are best suited for the job. The proposal includes proof of their expertise or experience in the industry, as well as a promise of considerable financial investment.
It is the same for Luckia, who has promised an investment of $2 billion CLP over the course of its next licensing period. This amount — equal to about $2.1 million USD — is partially earmarked for the creation of a photovoltaic plant. The plant has been proposed in order to fuel the casino and make it less consumptive of traditional forms of energy.
Aside from a view on sustainability and lowering its carbon footprint, Luckia’s plans also include increased attention to tourism. The operators aim to offer guests various other experiences tied into their visit to the casino, including excursions to local sites of interest in Atacama like the Flowering Desert.
Another key investment area is the training of locals in order to qualify for jobs in the casino field, if they wish. One example of Antay’s previous investment includes the funding of paleontological activities in Atacama. As a result of the former casino license bid, significant discoveries were made in the region occupied by the casino.
This time, additional funding will be funneled into the local municipality government, which means they will be able to choose their own projects to develop. These are usually activities in education, infrastructure and health, which are largely regarded as being a contribution to public welfare.
Several other licenses have been renewed throughout Chile this month. They include Marina del Sol Malama casino, which will be operated by Latin Gaming Calama, as well as Casino Monticello in Mostazal, operated by San Francisco Investment. There is also Dreams Valdivia (Games Casino Valdivia), Enjoy Los Angeles (Casino Grand Los Angeles), Dreams Temuco (Casino Games Temuco), Talcahuano (Marina del Sol), Marina del Sol Osorno (Latin Gaming Osorno), Santa Cruz casino (Colchagua Casino), and Dreams Punta Arenas (Games Casino Punta Arenas).
Controversy for license renewals in LATAM
Some Latin American governments have been plagued by controversy recently when it comes to recent bids for license renewals or licenses for new operators. For example, in Paraguay, Conajzar has been criticized for allegedly targeting Daruma Sam as its operator of choice for sportsbooks. Authorities have countered by saying it is the one eligible operator, but critics say this creates an unfair monopoly in the industry which must be addressed.
In Argentina, a casino in Godoy Cruz was forced to shutter for several days because of controversy over the decision to change licensed-operators after a new call for bids. The former operator refused to remove its slot machines and alleged that the new operator could not live up to its promises of cash investment in the casino. Ultimately, the former operator was ousted despite its protests.
