Casino Club del Sol in Guayaquil closed again due to non-compliance
The Club del Sol gaming hall, located in the Sheraton Hotel in Guayaquil, was closed for the second time in 2026. The measure was ordered by the city's municipality and follows a previous closure in February, when an operation found that the venue was operating without the Annual License for the Operation of Establishments, known as LAFE.
According to the seals placed on the main door, the establishment violated numerals 3 and 4 of article 46 of the LAFE. Municipal regulations require declaring and attaching truthful information to obtain the permit, and prohibit the development of economic activities in areas not authorized by the Decentralized Autonomous Municipal Government of Guayaquil.
Club del Sol operates under an unusual scheme. The Ecuadorian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation appears as the administrator and claims that it is a gaming center whose revenues finance medical programs. After the first closure, the entity filed a lawsuit to reverse the measure, arguing that there would be operational exceptions for duly constituted charitable organizations.
The debate over the legal loophole
In Ecuador, the 2011 referendum and popular consultation generally prohibited gambling. However, the operation of the venue opened a legal debate as some interpretations point to a loophole that would allow private foundations to operate machines under the premise of financing social works. The Attorney General's Office recently issued a statement ratifying that casinos and gaming halls remain prohibited in the country, which reduces the scope of that interpretation.
The case adds another layer of complexity. The foundation's judicial attorney, María Lorena Burgos, stated that the organization does not manage the casino nor did it invest capital in the space, and that the venue operates under the firm Sunsetbet S.A.S. According to the Superintendency of Companies, Securities and Insurance, the company lists the US-based Renewal Engineering Services LLC as its sole shareholder, as part of an alliance with the foundation.
The episode reflects a recurring tension in much of Latin America, where outdated regulatory frameworks coexist with hybrid figures that mix charity, private capital, and land-based gambling. Ecuador reaches this new closure in the midst of a debate about the scope of the prohibition, while neighboring countries are advancing with specific regulations for online and physical gambling that seek to leave behind precisely these types of gray areas.
Tags: Ecuador, Casino Club del Sol, closure of Casino Club del Sol, casinos in Ecuador