A conflict of interest question is developing at the center of Chile's push to regulate online betting, after it emerged that a former lobbyist for the country's main industry association now holds a strategic advisory position in the government body overseeing the bill's legislative progress.
María Trinidad Sainz Reyes, a political scientist, joined the Secretaría General de la Presidencia (Segpres) in March 2026 as a legislative adviser. The Segpres functions as the bridge between the executive and Congress, and is directly involved in monitoring the online gambling regulation bill currently in its second constitutional process in the Senate.
Before that appointment, Sainz worked as a lobbyist for the Agrupación Chilena de Plataformas de Apuestas en Línea (Apal), the industry group representing operators including Betano, Betsson, Coolbet and Latamwin.
Investigative outlet Fast Check reported that between 2023 and 2025, Sainz attended at least eight meetings with legislators and officials to influence the regulatory debate.
The situation drew additional scrutiny after lobby registry records showed that, already in her government role, Sainz attended an April meeting with representatives of Eastern Star Entertainment, the company behind Jugabet. The meeting's stated purpose was to address concerns about the bill currently before the Senate.
The Segpres confirmed her attendance but ruled out any wrongdoing, stating that Sainz has had no direct involvement in drafting the bill and faces no legal impediment to attending such meetings. Enrique Rajevic, former legal director of the Consejo para la Transparencia, disagreed. He told Fast Check that given her recent ties to the industry, Sainz should have recused herself, and that the situation could raise questions under administrative probity standards.
The bill in question, which the government has given maximum legislative urgency, would require platforms to operate under formal state supervision, pay a 20% sector-specific tax plus VAT and retroactive charges, and comply with a cooling-off period. It also expands the enforcement powers of the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ).
Industry operators have intensified engagement with government officials as the bill advances. In April, representatives of Jugabet and Apal held separate meetings with officials from the Finance Ministry and legislative advisers.
The regulatory push comes as the sector continues to operate in a legal gray zone: all online betting platforms active in Chile are based outside the country, pay no local taxes and currently face an unexecuted Supreme Court order to have their sites blocked.
Chile's Supreme Court ruled in October 2025 that online betting platforms were operating outside the legal framework and ordered their websites blocked, but the Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones Subtel has since acknowledged technical and legal obstacles to enforcing the order
