Chile Senate committee backs online betting bans over 22% tax proposal
Regulation1 min read
Chile’s Senate Economy Committee reportedly approved two amendments on 9 November that would prohibit online betting, by three votes to one with one abstention. The proposals exclude the government’s alternative of five-year licences and a 22% tax; the committee formally agreed to continue examining the bill at a later session.
Chile's Senate Economy Committee reportedly approved two amendments to prohibit online betting, by three votes to one with one abstention. The amendments leave out the government of José Antonio Kast's proposal for five-year licences and a 22% tax.
Committee chair Gastón Saavedra and senator Diego Ibáñez signed one amendment. Senators Paulina Núñez and María José Gatica signed the other.
The committee met on 9 November at the former Congress building in Santiago to examine amendments to the online betting platforms bill. Finance undersecretary Sebastián Vallebona attended as a guest. Senator Matías Walker took part, as did Manuel José Ossandón and Paulina Vodanovic, who were substituting for Carlos Kuschel and Ricardo Celis.
The bill entered Chile's Congress in March 2022 and has spent months in its second legislative stage in the Senate. The Senate opened up to three amendment periods in 2026 alone, with the last two on 16 and 26 October. The latest comparison document was published on 6 November. When the amendment period closed, the alternatives were a ban or restricting the business to lotteries.
The committee formally agreed to continue examining the bill at a later session. A session scheduled for 10 November did not take place.