Chile’s Superintendency of Gambling Casinos has announced that casinos with open spaces will now able to reopen their doors for business. The decision comes just days after the Undersecretary of Tourism José Luis Uriarte said that conditions were not in place to proceed with the restarts in zones currently in Phase 1 and 2.
In a decision dated February 19, the national gambling authority reported that the Ministry of Health, through Resolution No. 43, has allowed the reopening of casinos in Phase 2, as long as they have open rooms to offer their services.
“Taking into consideration the good results in terms of health measures obtained by the industry since the restart of the operations, the municipal casino operators and licensees can open in Phase 2, as long as they follow the distances already established to use slot machines,” the SCJ highlighted.
Additionally, the regulator said that the ban on food and beverages remains in place and that casinos that will reopen will be forced to follow a specific schedule for at least three days a week, between Monday and Friday and during business hours.
Casinos in zones currently in Phase 3 and 4 can operate in open and closed spaces as well. The minimum distance between each gambling machine in open spaces must be of at least 39 inches. Meanwhile, closed spaces must have adequate and permanent ventilation, a minimum distance of 79 inches between slots and a physical barrier between players. Where there is no protection, slot machines must be located within 118 inches of each other.
Gambling tables will also be able to operate if they follow the same restrictions as slot machines, with the exception that the only people allowed at the tables will be players and casino employees.
