Gross income of the Chilean casinos grow a 78.1% in 2009’s first semester

Besides, the 13 city councils and nine regional governments received a total of us$  14.1 million on specific gaming tax, while the state received us$ 13.5 million on VAT to gaming and us$ 7.8 million on tax on entry.

The Superintendent indicated that “between January and June of this year, it was registrated a growth fee of 78.1% of the gross gaming incomes in this new industry that is consolidating with transparent operational results that guarantee the public faith in the correct games of chance operation.” The new industry is comprised by the casinos authorized in 2006 by SCJ, and are located in Calama, Antofagasta, Copiapó, Mostazal, Santa Cruz, Talca, Pinto (Termas de Chillán), Talcahuano, Los Ángeles, Temuco, Valdivia, Osorno and Punta Arenas. All of them operated the 181 days between January and June, except in Calama (48 days), Punta Arenas (110 days) and Valdivia (131 days) Temuco (168 days) and Osorno (169 days).

The new casinos must pay a 20% special tax every month on gross incomes, allocating half of it to the city council, in which the casino is located, and the other half for the regional government to invest in developments in the rest of the regional councils.

The Superintendent assured that “compared to daily average registered in 2008, both taxes allocated to regional development and gross gaming incomes, exhibit an important growth of 53.9% and 53.6% respectively”. Besides, he reminded that “taxes received by local councils and regional governments cannot be invested in common or administration expenses, and only in developments for society.

While in 2008 the daily average of gross gaming incomes was us$ 26,621, in the first half of the current year it achieved a U$S 40,901; besides, last year the specific gaming tax was us$ 4,436 a day, and between January and June, us$ 6,827. Besides, the dayly average of visits increased a 51.3% and its expenses a 13.2%, because in 2008 564.4 visits a day were registered in average, and 853.7 in the first semester 2009. Each of these visits spent an average of us$ 45.98 in 2008 and us$ 27,890 (us$ 52) between January and June.

Complying with the games of chance norm established by SCJ, as in 2008, the 6,182 games of chance machines in operation delivered a 93% of benefit in average to players. While the total amount bet was us$ 887.8 million, the win in games of chance for the 13 new casinos was of us$ 62.4 million, which means that the prizes won by players were us$ 825.4 million. The Superintendent said that “with this, the new industry exceeds the established by SCJ, to grant prizes no less than 85% of the total of combinations on possible plays, guaranteeing the public faith of the players as it occurs in developed countries.

Of the five games of chance categories that may just be operated in the interior of a casino, gross gaming income from games of chance represented the 73.5% of the total (us$ 62.3 million), while cards represent the 15.5% (us$ 13.1 million), the roulette 9.1% (us$ 7.7 million), dices 1.5% (us$ 1.2 million) and bingo 0.4% (us$ 0.3 million).