Chile: Supreme Court orders Internet providers to block online gambling platforms

The Third Chamber of the Supreme Court of Chile ordered the country's six main Internet providers to implement the “immediate and effective” blocking of online gambling and sports betting platforms currently operating in the country, which it described as “illegal.”

The ruling, dated September 29, upholds a protection appeal filed by Lotería de Concepción against the companies Claro, Entel, GTD, Telefónica, WOM, and VTR, and overturned the previous decision of the Santiago Court of Appeals, issued in early May 2025.

In its decision, the court argued that gambling is prohibited as a general rule and recalled that only approved entities such as Lotería de Concepción, Polla Chilena, racetracks, and casinos have the required authorization. In the case of iGaming, it stated that only Lotería, Polla, and Teletrak can operate certain games.

Based on the principle of net neutrality, the court noted that providers cannot block “legal” content, which implies the duty to block “illegal” content.

Along those lines, the court deemed the companies’ refusal to implement blocking as arbitrary and illegal, since the reported activity affects the complainant’s property rights over its exclusive concession.

The decision was adopted with the dissenting votes of Justice Mireya López and attorney member Carlos Urquieta, who favored confirming the Santiago Court of Appeals’ rejection.

To issue its ruling, the court took into account reports from the Superintendence of Casinos and Gaming and the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel). Polla Chilena intervened as a supporting third party, backing the request for blocking.

Access the ruling of the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court here.