Casinos in Chile
Casinos in Chile are popular with both locals and tourists throughout the country, with twelve big ones being spread out over ten cities. There are also a number of horse racing tracks and racinos. A tendering process is currently underway in Chile to open a number of new casinos in various locations. Over forty eight applications have been received for seventeen licenses that are up for grabs.
The first casino licences given out in Chile was way back in 1852, making casinos in Chile a pretty historic past time. The oldest operating casino is the Vina del Mar which opened in 1930. Online gambling however is a different story. Currently the current law prohibits the operation of any online gambling sites, which means that there are no legal online Chilean casinos. This has been addressed in parliament, but nothing has changed yet. Locals are however free to access any other international online casinos that allows Chilean patrons.
Vina Del Mar Casino
The Vina del Mar casino in Vina del Mar is Chile’s oldest operating casino. Opened on New Years Eve in 1930, it still exists in its original building. Today the casino complex boasts a five star hotel as well as a number of restaurants. The hotel and casino is situated right by the ocean, making it a vastly popular place for tourists. Every room at the hotel includes a sofa bed as well as a mini bar. The casino has over 1500 gaming machines, including basic three reel slots and going all the way up to animated high definition movie slots. A number of progressives are also on offer. Table games are very popular and the casino has a number of varieties including different varieties of Poker. Tournaments are held often and are open to both locals and visitors.
Monticello Grand Casino
The Monticello Grand Casino is a member of the Sun International Group that has hotels and casinos all around the world. Opened in 2009, it is a modern casino set in American style, with loads of glamour and a swanky hotel. The opening night featured Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony as performers and was attended by many celebrities, both local and international. The casino and hotel is located just twenty minutes from Santiago, which is one of Chile’s main wine producing areas and thus a great tourist attraction in itself.
The complex is designed for all ages, offering not just the casino for adults but a number of activities like an onsite Spa and a gaming arcade. The casino itself offers over 1800 slots and video poker machines, 80 gaming tables and 300 bingo seats. Table games are represented by Craps, Roulette, Dados, Blackjack and Punto Banco. The rest of the complex offers two a la carte restaurants, a nightclub, an amphitheatre and a bowling alley.
Enjoy Casino Antofagasta
The Enjoy Casino group is the largest owners of casinos in Chile. One such example of their casinos can be found in the Bay of Antofagasta, and offers a five star hotel among other attractions. The actual hotel is not huge, with only 92 rooms but it does have an onsite Spa, a health club, a large pool and an entertainment venue that provides live music from mostly local but some international artists.
The complex has three restaurants and a number of bars with a wide choice of cuisines. The majority of the dining is al la carte and fine, with the exception of some of the bars. The casino is a big one, with over 1000 gaming machines and a number of table games.