Chilean lawmakers propose online betting for licensed casinos and lotteries
Regulation3 min read
A bill presented to Chile’s Chamber of Deputies would let authorised casinos and other legally permitted entities offer online betting and games. The proposal would place casino offerings under the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego and require identity checks, user limits and self-exclusion; it also proposes prison terms of 541 days to five years and fines of 100 to 1,000 UTM for unauthorised operators, as reported.
Chilean deputies Sergio Bobadilla, Eduardo Cretton and Cristóbal Martínez have proposed allowing authorised casinos and other legally permitted entities to offer online betting and games of chance. The proposal would apply the oversight and tax conditions governing in-person gambling to online operations.
The bill, numbered 18.781-06, would amend Law No 19.995 to let casinos offer the games covered by their operating permits online. Online authorisation would be attached to a casino's physical permit and subject to supervision by the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego. Each operator could use one platform, with a single brand and a .cl domain, notified to the authority in advance.
Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción and official racetracks could sell online only the games and bets they are already authorised to offer. They would not be allowed to offer other games of chance reserved for casinos.
Players would have to be adults with verified identities and personal, non-transferable accounts. Deposits and withdrawals would have to use payment instruments belonging to the player and issued by entities supervised by the Comisión para el Mercado Financiero. The bill would provide tools to limit deposits, losses and playing time, as well as temporary or indefinite self-exclusion.
People offering or operating remote gambling without legal permission could face prison terms of 541 days to five years and fines of 100 to 1,000 UTM. The bill would impose fines for advertising those activities and allow courts to order website, domain and app blocks and suspend transactions to the platforms.
Chile has 25 operating casinos, including 22 authorised under Law No 19.995 and three operating under municipal concessions. Figures from the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego cited in the bill show tax revenue from physical casinos fell 8.87% in real terms year on year.
The deputies said online sales could increase income for Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción and official racetracks and strengthen their contributions to beneficiaries. They warned that potential casino closures would affect employment and tourism-related activities and reduce municipal and regional government revenue. The deputies said online gambling would let authorised operators diversify income without subsidies or tax benefits while retaining their existing tax obligations.
A separate bill under debate in the Senate includes amendments seeking to prohibit online betting platforms. The government has submitted amendments to a bill to regulate online betting platforms, including advertising restrictions, tax changes and stronger user protections. That bill is in its second legislative stage in the Senate and aims to prevent access by minors and problem gambling.
The deputies' bill entered the Chamber of Deputies on 22 October and is at its first constitutional stage. The Interior Government Committee will consider it before the Economy Committee, once the first committee has issued its report.