Chile’s Regional Councils, known as CORE, are adding a further disruptive dimension in the casino licensing process. Already the Superintendence of Casinos (SCJ) is at odds with an appeal court ruling that Thunderbird Resorts should be reinstated into the bidding procedure and is appealing to the Supreme Court. Now there are acrimony and threatened legal disputes over recent CORE decisions. A Treasury Commission in the lower chamber of Parliament is closely watching events and is so concerned that it is considering introducing changes to the law.

The CORE for the regions where bids have been submitted have been given the duty of analysing and rating each proposal in an intermediate stage of the licensing process. In some cases, particularly in Los Lagos (Region X) and Biobio (region VIII), they have recently made questionable decisions over their support for differing bid projects. This has led to speculation that the process has become somewhat less than fair and transparent. The well managed progress of the new casino law through Chile’s legislature is in danger of becoming derailed and mired in controversy.

If politics, so-called ‘trading of influences’, collusion, or worse, taint the progress of Chile’s new casino law it will be a step backwards for the industry in the whole region. Chile has been forging a new image for itself as a modern, democratic, European style, market economy. It needs to ensure that the casino licensing process is fair and transparent from beginning to end, not only for the reputation of the country but also in the interests of future livelihoods and economic development in its often remote regions.
(E-05.12.06)

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