In Chile, a federal appeals court has upheld an action brought by casino operator Marina Del Sol against the Chilean Gaming Control Board and its tendering process for a quartet of expiring casino licenses.

The Santiago Court Of Appeals agreed with the plaintiff that there had been inconsistencies in the licensing procedure for the right to operate the casinos in the cities of Iquique, Coquimbo, Vina Del Mar and Puerto Varas although the tendering process for the venues in Arica, Pucon and Puerto Natales is reportedly set to proceed as planned.

In its action, Marina Del Sol pointed out a number of shortcomings as well as a lack of information when it came to the tendering process initiated by the Chilean Gaming Control Board while cautioning that the demands being required of operators applying for one of the expiring licences were excessive and could make any business unprofitable.

The ruling from the Santiago Court Of Appeals means that the decision as to who should operate the four casinos could be delayed until long after the end of November, which the Chilean Gaming Control Board had set as its deadline for applications. It could additionally have dire repercussions for the entire Chilean casino industry as the existing licences for the venues are set to expire at the end of 2017.

Despite accepting certain aspects of the court’s ruling, the Chilean Gaming Control Board declared that it intended to proceed towards granting the licences although Mario Rojas from Marina Del Sol asserted that the decision meant that the tendering process for the venues in Puerto Varas, Iquique, Vina Del Mar and Coquimbo had been suspended.

According to a report from the Chilean Gaming Control Board released last month, the casinos in Vina Del Mar, Iquique, Puerto Varas, Coquimbo, Pucon, Arica and Puerto Natales recorded gross gaming revenues of $16.52 million in August, which represented 29.2% of the industry’s total in Chile