Chile Gambling Regulator Authorises Casino Shutdown over Civil Unrest

The civil unrest in Chile has prompted the country’s gambling regulator to shut down its casinos in order to protect both workers and patrons.

Since the protests began, more than 20 people have been killed and over 2500 injured. Police have arrested 2840 for participating in riots and the situation is still tenuous at best. Subway stations have been seized, the transportation system has been disabled, with 81 different stations either vandalised, set on fire or both.

Chile has a robust gambling scene which consists of seven city-owned venues and 18 new-ish private casinos. Most that fall into the latter category are owned by two companies, Enjoy and Sun Dreams, and all now have to respond to the order of the country’s gambling regulator to suspend activities.

The majority of the protests and riots have been taking place in Santiago, Concepción, San Antonio and Valparaíso. Not all of the locations have seen the level of violence witnessed in Santiago, however, and most of the country’s casinos are located in areas that have remained relatively calm.