In 2023 Chile’s governmental departments failed to reach a consensus on the creation of a new federal gambling architecture. This year all parties are hoping to do better, CDC Gaming Reports wrote March 12.
The Senate and National Congress have returned from recess and are required to review and finalize the new Federal Gambling Bill.
This action was supposed to have happened last year, and was to have included legalizing online gaming, and ending the state-owned monopolies of Loteria Concepción, Polla Chilena (football pools), and Teletrak Chile (horse racing).
They agreed on some things, such as updating the law to include online gambling. They also agreed to a 20 percent tax on gross include and licensing for foreign and Chilean gaming operators.
All that progress was wrecked when the Supreme Court upheld a court challenge by those monopolies that required the prosecution of online gaming as illegal.
The high court ordered the government to block access to gaming websites until the legislature approved a framework that includes them. The court also ordered a year-long cooling off period before gray-market operators could be prosecuted.
The current state of play is that monopoly operators are demanding protections be included in the revised bill.
According to SBC Noticias, “Polla Chilena de Beneficencia expressed concerns about being treated like other international operators in the proposed bill, pointing out its distinct structure and ownership.”
The attorney who represents several foreign gaming operators, including Betsson and BetWarrior, warns that the monopoly operators are obstructing the passage of the bill.
Attorney Carlos Baeza told the Senate Economic Commission, “There is no provision in the Chilean legal system that prevents the development of online betting.”
This is contradicted by the Superintendence of Gaming Casinos (SCJ), which maintains that such an activity must be specified by explicit regulation. Otherwise it is illegal, says SCJ.
