The casino landscape in Chile has changed dramatically following the newly announced merger of operators Sun Dreams, Marina del Sol and Clairvest.
The tie-up encompasses 10 of Chile’s 26 casinos along with properties in Peru, Argentina and Colombia, making the combined entity Chile’s largest operator and one of the largest in South America. The merged portfolio includes some 10,500 machine games, 450 table games and almost 1,000 hotel rooms.
In Chile, the new company will be comprised of Sun Dreams casinos in Iquique, Mostazal, Temuco, Valdivia, Puerto Varas, Coyhaique and Punta Arenas and Marina del Sol casinos in Calama, Talcahuano and Osorno.
Pending regulatory approvals and completion of the merger, current shareholders of Sun Dreams will own 64 percent of the combined company. Marina del Sol and Clairvest will hold the remaining 36 percent. But that is likely to change if an IPO on the Santiago Stock Exchange goes off as planned once the merger is finalized, with the money raised earmarked for expansion in existing and new markets.
“The merged entity will have a critical mass that will allow it to expand and finance both new larger-scale projects and possible future acquisitions in the context of the gaming industry in South America, with Chile as the main platform,” the new company told government regulators.
