Court ruling: PR Gaming Commission must process slot licenses
The Court of First Instance of San Juan dealt a setback to the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission, compelling it to formally receive, accept, and process license applications from route gaming machine operators. The decision, signed by Superior Judge Iris Cancio González, accepted a mandamus petition filed by operators who had for years reported obstacles to accessing the licensing process.
The Ruling and its Deadlines
The judgment is precise in its demands. The Commission's executive director, Juan Carlos Santaella Marchán, and the director of the Route Gaming Machine Bureau, Loraine Irizarry Torres, have a five-day deadline to formally receive applications, issue official receipts, and assign file numbers for priority evaluation. The court also established that applications must be evaluated in accordance with Law No. 11 and Regulation No. 9647, and if any are incomplete, the Commission will have 15 days to notify specific non-compliance in writing.
The detail is not minor. The ruling recognizes that the priority period for previous applicants expired in April 2025 and that approximately 2,000 machines are still available within the limit of 25,000 authorized by Puerto Rican law. This figure opens a considerable economic window for new operators who, until now, faced a closed desk, with no concrete possibility of submitting paperwork.
The Voice of the Plaintiffs
The legal spokesperson for the plaintiffs, Frank Torres Viada, interpreted the ruling as a confirmation of what merchants had been demanding from day one. In his reading, the Commission could not continue to close the door, refusing to receive applications and keeping operators out of a process that both the law and regulations mandate to activate. The lawyer emphasized the idea of a ministerial duty that does not allow for regulatory discretion.
From UNOMAR, the group that brings together the plaintiffs, its spokesperson Gilberto Narváez presented the political interpretation of the case. He spoke of a victory for small merchants, for transparency, and for the principle that no agency can act as if it is above the law. The organization announced that it will be vigilant in ensuring strict compliance with the ruling and will monitor the deadlines established by the court.
The episode exposes a recurring tension in regulated markets with a numerical limit on licenses. When the authority delays the opening of new processes, operators outside the system seek judicial avenues to force action. In Latin America, the pattern is repeated, from casino tenders in Chile to the claims of illegal operators seeking regulated frameworks in Brazil and Argentina; justice often appears as an arbiter of definitions that the administration fails to resolve in a timely manner.
Tags: Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico slot machines, Puerto Rico Gaming Commission, Puerto Rico casino regulation, UNOMAR