Chilean senators press Government for online betting regulation

Senators members of the Senate's Economy Committee, called on Chile's Government to present its promised proposal for regulating online betting platforms.

Following the Central Bank's report of a 1.5% drop in the country's monthly economic activity index (Imacec) in July, Senators Gastón Saavedra and Ricardo Celis argued that recent blocks on illegal betting sites show the need to move beyond administrative measures.

They argue it’s time to go toward comprehensive market regulation that establishes clear rules, applies taxes, strengthens oversight, and addresses gambling addiction risks.

"Blocking platforms isn't enough; we need regulation that can organize this market, oversee it, and also generate revenue for the State. The government committed to a proposal and we're still waiting for it to reach Congress," said Saavedra, the committee's President.

He also added that recent economic figures make it even more urgent to pursue initiatives capable of generating activity and new fiscal revenue.

Celis said the Government has yet to present a concrete proposal despite online betting regulation being raised during discussions of Chile's broader tax reform package. 

"I've asked the minister what happened to the proposal made during the tax reform discussions to increase fiscal revenue through online betting. This committee still hasn't received a proposal, nor the Government's position on the matter," he said.

Chile currently has 39 online betting platforms registered for digital VAT, while the Finance Ministry opened applications for a new Superintendent of Casinos de Juego, the country's gambling regulator.

Last month, the Santiago Court of Appeals also established a permanent five-stage procedure for blocking unauthorized gambling sites, aimed at addressing operators that switch domains to evade earlier restrictions.