Boldt Peralada announced on June 19, 2015 the Ovalle Casino and Resort in Chile has a projected opening of March 12, 2016. There is an expected soft opening set for February 2016. Boldt Peralada is the Argentine – Spanish investor consortium that has backed the project. A total investment of $50 million USD was provided for the casino resort, which is the largest private investment in the history of Ovalle.
According to the commercial director for the resort, Juan Carlos Salaberry, 43% of the structural portion of the casino resort has been constructed. It is estimated in December that all physical work will be completed. The assembly of décor and internal parts of the casino will start in January. The director believes a trial for the casino will start in February with a grand opening in March 2016.
William Gabela, director of corporate affairs for Boldt Peralada, stated they invested in four casinos, two in Brazil and two in Argentina. It was logical to invest in Ovalle for their fifth casino. The casino is in an open space with great potential, it helps the company invest in the region, and because Ovalle is a very warm, inviting place.
Work on the casino began in 2014 and will offer the region 300 jobs, plus over 1500 part time positions. Ovalle Casino and Resort will also be a first for South America because it has a wine spa.
The mayor of Ovalle, Claudio Renteria stated, “this private investment is very important for us, as we continue to strengthen growth in tourism, so I thank Boldt Peralada, because together we are able to develop our community.”
The casino license was awarded in September 2013. This was after an attempt in 2012 for a different group of investors through Casino Austria who had the license but decided not to continue with the project.