Development of the industry in the 20th century (Chile)

Introduction: why it was the 20th century that became decisive

The Chilean gambling industry was born not as a "mass" business, but as an element of urban and resort development. In the first half of the century, municipalities played a key role, using casinos as a tool for branding destinations, attracting tourists and financing urban infrastructure. By the end of the century, this model was legally strengthened by a special law that "untied the hands" of several more cities.

1) The Birth of Industry: Viña del Mar, 1930

Discussions about the casino in Vinha have been going on since the 1910s, the project received a new impetus in 1928, and on December 31, 1930, Casino Municipal de Viña del Mar solemnly opened the doors. President Carlos Ibáñez del Campo participated in the opening; the facility immediately became a mainstay of the city's resort brand.

The architecture of the complex is a classic urban "entertainment palace" with halls, restaurants and ballroom spaces conceived as a center of social life.

What it changed. Vigna anchored a model in which the municipality is the owner and the operator by concession; revenues and cultural program support urban tourism and seasonal events. (This logic would later be repeated in other cities.)

2) The second half of the century: northern and southern "anchors"

After Vigny, the industry developed pointwise - where tourist flow and urban ambitions could keep the year-round agenda.

Arica (North, 1960 → transfer 1963)

On March 17, 1960, Casino Arica opened - first in Hostería Arica (now Hotel Arica), and in 1963 the complex moved to a new building near the coast. He is considered the second "seniority" in the country.

Puerto Varas (south, 1970)

January 30, 1970 began the work of Casino de Puerto Varas - first in the premises of the Gran Hotel de Puerto Varas; the object became the anchor of lake tourism in the Los Lagos region and later moved to its own buildings.

Period total. By the 1970s, the country had formed a triangle of "resort" casinos (the central zone is Viña del Mar; north - Arica; south - Puerto Varas), who worked according to the municipal model and served primarily tourist and cultural flows.

3) Legal "bridge" of the late XX century: 1990 permits

The turn of the 1980s and 1990s brought key news: on February 23, 1990, a special law was passed (Ley 18. 936), who authorized the establishment of casinos in Iquique, Pukon and Puerto Natales and lifted the general criminal prohibitions on gambling for them (Articles 277-279 of the Criminal Code) - thereby expanding the geography of the municipal model to the north, center and Patagonia.

Pukon quickly implemented the permit and launched a casino in 1990 (inheriting a "hotel" bundle, as it was in Vinha and Puerto Varas). This is how the second wave of municipal projects appeared at the end of the 20th century. (The ACCJ profile association also writes about this.)

4) Socio-economic and cultural context of the XX century

Tourism and events. All early casinos were built into the tourist scene: resort seasons, festivals, concerts, gastronomic weeks. This event justified investment in halls and hotels, and also kept seasonal employment.

Architecture and urban fabric. Vigna is an example of the "resort classics" of the 1930s; Arrika is a 1960s modernist accent; Puerto Varas is a "hotel bundle" near the lake, which later became a separate complex.

Municipal finance. Until the end of the century, it was the cities that were the interested party: casinos provided revenues to local budgets through concessions and related fees, as well as a multiplier effect for hotels, restaurants and transport. (Contemporary sources and industry summaries translate this historical thesis as part of the model's DNA.)

5) On the threshold of the XXI century: industry before reform

By the late 1990s and early 2000s, after the expansion of 1990, it became clear that the industry needed a single national framework: uniform authorization criteria, supervision, transparent contests, a responsible approach. This happened already in 2005 with the adoption of Law No. 19. 995 and the creation of the SCJ regulator is a step beyond the 20th century, but a logical consequence of all previous evolution.

6) Chronology of the 20th century - short scale

1910s - 1928: Debate and preparation of the casino project in Viña del Mar.

1930 (December 31): Grand opening of Casino Municipal de Viña del Mar.

1960 (March 17): Casino Arica opens; 1963 - transfer to a new building.

1970 (January 30): Casino de Puerto Varas starts at Gran Hotel.

1990 (February 23): Ley 18. 936 permits casinos in Iquique, Puquón and Puerto Natales; the "second wave" of municipal projects begins.

7) The legacy of the 20th century for modernity

Municipal industry code. The first model showed that casinos in Chile are not an "isolated hall," but a cultural and tourist anchor of the city with an event agenda.

Geography and branding. The north (Arrica), the center (Viña) and the south (Puerto Varas) set tourist routes supported by gastronomy and hotel infrastructure.

Legal foundation. The 1990 law expanded the map and paved the way for the 2005 reform, which already formed the national regulatory circuit (SCJ) in the 21st century.

The 20th century in Chile is the century of the formation of the gambling industry: Viña del Mar (1930) as a symbol of resort modernity, Arica (1960) and Puerto Varas (1970) as regional "anchors," and the 1990 law as a legal bridge to the expansion of the network. It is this trajectory that explains why the modern system (already in the 21st century) was able to centralize and increase the requirements for transparency, competition and social responsibility - not destroying, but developing the tourist and urban nature of Chilean casinos laid down in the 20th century.