The Portuguese Gaming Regulatory Authority, the Service of Regulation and Inspection (SRIJ), has declared that it will initiate a public bidding process to identify the victors of the exclusive casino operating rights for the two authorized land-based gaming zones of Estoril and Figueira da Foz.

The current licenses are scheduled to expire on December 31, 2022, after being extended multiple times due to the widespread downturn in the land-based gambling industry resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The public bidding process will span 30 days. The successful bidder will secure the exclusive right to provide games of chance within the designated area. The tender procedure is open to domestic enterprises and international operators with branches in Portugal.

To qualify for the tender, interested parties must be a joint-stock company with its registered office in a member state of the European Union or the European Economic Area, and must have signed specific agreements on anti-money laundering, anti-fraud, and tax administrative collaboration.

The wood manufacturing firm Amorim manages the Figueira da Foz venue, known as the Figueira Casino. The company previously acquired Sociedade Figueira Praia, SA, which held the franchise rights.

The Estoril Casino is operated by Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau (STDM), a firm controlled by Stanley Ho’s Macau gambling enterprise SJM.

The public bid arrives at a moment when the Portuguese gaming sector is facing difficulties. In the initial three months, brick-and-mortar gaming income fell by 7.2% in comparison to the preceding year, reaching €53.9 million. The subsequent three-month period witnessed a further drop in earnings as the number of patrons experienced a considerable reduction.

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