Lotería del Chubut Tenders Esquel Casino Requiring Gradual Reinstatement of Roughly 50 Workers

Lotería del Chubut has issued a public tender for the operation of a casino and annex gaming room in Esquel. The terms require the future operator to gradually reinstate the roughly 50 workers left jobless after the prior concessionaire closed the venue earlier this year. The move shifts the province from managing fallout to attempting a structured market reset, though property issues and timelines suggest reopening remains distant.

Labour Obligations and Tender Structure

Trewelyn S.A. closed the Casino de Esquel on March 25, 2026, indefinitely and without notice, then dismissed its full staff. Lotería del Chubut, formally the Instituto de Asistencia Social, responded with municipal financial support for affected families while preparing the new tender. Ramiro Ibarra, president of Lotería del Chubut, stated that no proposal from Trewelyn would be accepted because the company paid its licence fee for the Puerto Madryn casino but not for Esquel.

Esquel mayor Matías Taccetta advocated for the worker reinstatement clause, which appears in articles 14 and 14 bis of the tender terms. Ibarra has indicated that hiring will proceed progressively according to the new venue’s operational requirements. The tender documents include gaming tables, yet Ibarra’s initial recommendation favours a slot-centred model to control higher operating costs associated with table games. As reported by G3 Newswire, this preference may influence the scale of bids received.

A provincial court ruling on October 6 ordered Trewelyn to pay March salaries with interest to 36 workers represented by the Sindicato de Empleados de Comercio, with no further appeals available. Eight additional workers are represented by lawyer Martín Iturburu. Despite the order, the employees report that payments have not been received. The provincial government has pledged further support, and the Legislature requested information from the Superior Court of Justice on the Trewelyn matters.

Venue Constraints and Timeline Outlook

The former casino premises belong to Trewelyn and remain embargoed by the workers as security for severance claims, complicating any reuse. Sebastián Pérez Rienzi, an ex-employee and group spokesman, said that interested companies would likely require at least a year to secure or construct a new venue. This stretches Ibarra’s prior six-month reopening estimate and aligns with his later caution that securing a building after tender award takes time.

For a land-based sector that has struggled to attract bidders elsewhere in the region, the tender retains provincial regulatory control and writes labour obligations directly into the concession terms. Whether operators respond will turn on venue feasibility and the practical impact of the reinstatement requirements. The outcome could indicate if this model offers a workable template or highlights limits when labour protections collide with commercial incentives.

Reporting: G3 Newswire

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