Republic of Chile
Chile is the largest Latin American market that still has no online licence. Games of chance are illegal by default and lawful only where a special law says otherwise, which covers Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Loteria de Concepcion, horse racing and the casinos authorised under Law 19.995 of 2005. Online is not on that list. The Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego says so plainly and adds that it has no power to supervise online betting platforms, so complaints go to the public prosecutor. Press reporting of a Supreme Court decision on 30 September 2025 describes the court confirming that online betting houses are illegal and ordering them blocked nationwide. Meanwhile the licensing bill, Boletin 14838-03, has been in Congress since 2022 and is still in its second Senate stage. For operators the practical position is that Chile is neither open nor settled: there is demand, no licence to hold, and a bill that has survived three years of committee stages without reaching a vote. Until Boletin 14838-03 passes, any Chilean-facing activity runs against a Supreme Court ruling rather than into a regulatory gap.
Ley 19.995, establece las bases generales para la autorizacion, funcionamiento y fiscalizacion de casinos de juego
Boletin 14838-03, bill regulating the development of online betting platforms (proyecto que regula el desarrollo de plataformas de apuestas en linea)
Supreme Court decision on the legality of online betting houses and nationwide ISP blocking
30 Sept 2025
Chilean press reported on 30 September 2025 that the Supreme Court confirmed online betting houses are illegal and ordered them blocked throughout Chile. The Superintendencia subsequently discussed the effect on internet service providers. The decision itself was not read at review and no case number is recorded here.
The only question that matters is whether Boletin 14838-03 finally passes. It cleared a general Senate vote in August 2025, picked up maximum executive urgency in May 2026, and then went back to a technical working group in June 2026, which is the pattern of a bill that keeps almost arriving. Until it does, Chile is a prohibited market with a large offshore population and a regulator that is legally powerless against it. Watch the amendment round, the final tax rate, and how hard the blocking order is actually enforced.
Polla Chilena has asked a Santiago court to investigate Betsson, Betano, 1xBet, Coolbet and seven others for unauthorised gambling, money laundering and criminal association. The state is collecting VAT from the same companies its own lottery is describing as an organisation.
Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego, hosting the Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional text
Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego
Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego
Senado de la Republica de Chile
The Senate page describes the bill tax as a 20 per cent specific tax on gross income plus 2 per cent of revenues directed to sport. Trade reporting of the same bill describes 20 per cent plus 1 per cent earmarked for responsible gambling. The 20 per cent headline is consistent across sources; the earmarked component is not, and no figure is asserted as settled here.
Asesoria Tecnica Parlamentaria, Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile
BioBioChile
Surfaced through search results rather than read in full at review. The decision itself was not obtained and no case number is recorded. The underlying legal position, that online gambling is unauthorised in Chile, rests on the Superintendencia page, which is Tier 1.