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On August 5, 2025, in the morning, the Chilean Superintendency of Gambling Casinos (SCJ) would hold a definitive vote on Enjoy S.A.’s request to cancel its operating licenses for three major casinos in Viña del Mar, Coquimbo, and Pucón. But the voting was unexpectedly postponed due to the lack of a central government official, a move that drew scathing criticism from regional authorities.
Session Held Up by Failure of Key Official to Arrive
The session, convened by SCJ’s Resolutive Council, required all its members to be present to proceed. SCJ member Undersecretary of Finance Heidi Berner failed to arrive punctually. In her absence, the vote had to be suspended, which angered regional governors who had taken pains to arrive early.
Rodrigo Mundaca, Governor of the Valparaíso Region, labeled the event as a sign of disrespect. “It was disrespectful to the three governors who were at the session. We chose to leave the session that didn’t come about, unfortunately. We wait now for a new meeting to be called, one that begins on time“, he stated.
Governors Cristóbal Juliá (Coquimbo) and René Saffirio (La Araucanía) also expressed the same disappointment. Saffirio groused, “We all were there by 8:00 a.m., but the president who summoned the session didn’t show up, so there couldn’t be a vote. This will have to be addressed in the coming days.”
Background: Why Enjoy Wants Out
Enjoy, one of the big players in Chile’s casino industry, acquired the three casinos’ licenses in 2018 after submitting large financial guarantees in the bidding. Those guarantees now amount to a financial commitment. The licenses are long-term, the Viña del Mar license to 2036 and the Pucón and Coquimbo licenses to 2037.
In the first part of 2025, Enjoy filed official requests to relinquish these licenses within the ambit of Decree No. 803, passed earlier this year. The decree offers operators a legal avenue to turn over their casino licenses without initiating the enforcement of expensive performance bonds.
The company has argued that phasing out the licenses in a systematic fashion, with an estimated three-year exit program, would give time to safeguard current employees’ jobs while shielding the company from economically unviable stress.
Regional Support for an Orderly Exit
Despite the procedural glitch, some regional leaders have stated that they support Enjoy’s proposed withdrawal. Governor Saffirio expressed his support for the renunciation because the phased departure guarantees employment continuity among casino staff. “An orderly exit in three years allows time to transfer over without severe disruption“, he said.
This support responds to a heightened sensitivity that, while the revenues of casinos are important to local development, the viability of casino operations must be weighed against economic factors.
The adjournment means that the SCJ will need to reschedule the session to grant Enjoy’s applications. That being said, in light of the reported dissatisfaction of regional interests, the government may now be under greater pressure to ensure punctuality and transparency in subsequent proceedings.
The case also raises broader questions about deference and coordination in intergovernmental relations, especially where these have important fiscal and job implications for locals.
Enjoy’s case could be a precedent for other operators to use when they come up against similar barriers in Chile’s tightly regulated gaming industry. The industry waits in the meantime for a revised date for a vote that would reshape the future of three of Chile’s most well-known casino hotspots.
Source: YogoNet
