Municipal authorities in Chillán, Chile, have closed an unauthorized gambling venue and arrested seven people as part of ongoing efforts to curb illegal gaming activity.
Three suspects were charged with operating an illegal gambling house, while four others were detained for being present at the establishment. Authorities also issued a citation for operating without a municipal permit.
Camilo Benavente, Mayor of Chillán, said: "This is part of a permanent campaign to control this type of establishment. The venues do not have a municipal permit to operate and generate multiple problems in the neighborhoods where they set up, especially in the city center."
Benavente also noted that coordinated operations with Carabineros had progressively reduced the number of illegal gaming venues, stating: "These establishments, which operate without a permit, have decreased in Chillán, reaching 21. That figure is down from 31 catalogued venues in 2023.”
The action is the latest in a series of enforcement operations that have targeted unlicensed gambling in the Ñuble region over the past two years. In November 2025, Chile's Internal Revenue Service filed criminal complaints against 12 individuals, eight of them Chinese nationals, identified as operating illegal slot machine parlors in Chillán between October and November 2024.
Inspectors found the establishments running between 29 and 84 machines each, behind tinted windows designed to obstruct oversight, and without municipal licenses or authorization from the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego.
In November 2025, Chile's Internal Revenue Service filed criminal complaints against 12 people for running clandestine slot machine parlors in Chillán after inspections found establishments operating with tinted windows to avoid detection and between 29 and 84 slot machines per location
