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Original article: SEA busca invalidar permiso ambiental que permitió al Casino Dreams construir sin evaluación ambiental en Talca

Casino Dreams in Talca is facing one of its most challenging situations since its construction began. The Environmental Evaluation Service (SEA) of the Maule Region formally initiated the process to invalidate the resolution that enabled the project to skip the Environmental Impact Assessment System (SEIA), potentially leading to the authority reversing its favorable decision made in June 2025.

This development comes as construction progresses significantly, with deep excavations undertaken in an area noted for its environmental and hydrological fragility by various public agencies.

The «Modification Parque Ferial AGAC» project, promoted by Dreams and Agrícola Central del Maule, proceeded without submitting an Environmental Impact Study, despite its proximity to the Cajón del Río Claro Urban Wetland and Estero Piduco, which are crucial natural infrastructures for regulating the waters of Talca.

The General Directorate of Waters have previously warned about the high vulnerability of the aquifer beneath the area and the necessity for a thorough assessment of the risks associated with the construction activities. Furthermore, various technical reports indicated that the region is naturally prone to flooding and plays a vital role in absorbing excess waters during extreme weather events.

Despite these warnings, in June 2025, the environmental authority ruled that the project was not required to enter the SEIA. This decision followed several efforts and meetings conducted by the project’s stakeholders with public agencies during its administrative processing.

However, the situation is far from resolved. In a resolution dated July 14, 2026, the SEA concluded that the request for invalidation met all legal requirements and formally decided to initiate a procedure to determine whether the resolution favoring the project was legally justified.

The project holder will now have ten business days to present their arguments, after which the SEA must decide whether to uphold the resolution or invalidate it.

A Case That Could Foresee the Effects of the Mega-Reform of Permits

The Casino Dreams case also takes on national significance. As the government pushes its so-called «mega-reform,» currently under legislative discussion, one of the most controversial aspects is the possibility of the state needing to indemnify project holders when, after obtaining administrative approvals, they are later affected by judicial or administrative decisions that halt their execution.

If initiatives of this nature prosper, the Casino Dreams project could become a paradigm of the contentious debate dividing the political and environmental spheres: should the state indemnify a company that proceeded with construction in an environmentally vulnerable area, avoided an environmental assessment, and whose authorization is now under review by the granting authority?

This question is further amplified considering that the project has already realized significant civil engineering works while discussions about its environmental legality remain unresolved.

The SEA’s resolution illustrates that the case is far from closed. Rather, the environmental authority has initiated a formal process that could ultimately nullify the permit that allowed Casino Dreams to advance its construction without undergoing an environmental assessment.

La entrada SEA Moves to Overturn Environmental Permit that Allowed Casino Dreams to Bypass Environmental Assessment in Talca se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.