Chile’s government has accepted resolutions by the Chamber of Deputies that make it possible to launch a regulated online gaming market this year, according to CDC Gaming Reports. Work began on this government project in March.
Currently Chile has a gambling monopoly composed of Loteria Concepción, Polla Chilena (soccer pools), and Teletrak Chile, which oversees pari-mutuel horse racing.
The resolutions were written by the Chamber’s Economic Commission, which was given the job of drafting the legislative articles the government and regulatory needed to create a framework for issuing licenses and prohibiting criminal gambling activities online. These 15 articles amended the existing Gambling Law to include online gaming.
Their authors were Economic Undersecretary Heidi Berner and Superintendent of Gaming Casinos Chile (SCJ) Vivien Villagrán. Berner said the articles concentrated on “ambiguities of digital platforms and online gambling business, in order to remove legislative uncertainties.”
Article 40, perhaps the most vital of the 15, creates the framework for prosecuting unlicensed gambling. Other articles spell out the criminal charges and fines that could be applied for violating gambling laws as they are related to fraud, corruption and cybercrime.
A pending bill would require all licensed online operators to register their games with the Ministry of Finance. That ministry is imminently expected to publish its proposed licensing fees and tax rates for operators. This is a political hot potato because some of the proposals conflict with the interests of Chilean soccer.
An example: the National Association of Professional Football (ANFP) has clashed with the Ministry of Justice over its order banning betting partnerships with betting companies. ANFP claims the Ministry’s order has no basis in law.
In addition, the soccer clubs want assurances that they will be compensated for the launch of online sports betting.
