“We hope that 2026 will be the year Chile adopts comprehensive gambling regulation”

Cecilia Valdés, Executive President of the Chilean Association of Gaming Casinos (ACCJ), described 2025 as a year in which the country’s gambling industry moved forward “in positioning, technical rigour and institutional dialogue”.

In an exclusive interview with Yogonet, Valdés welcomed the impact of the Supreme Court ruling that found online gambling platforms operating without authorisation to be illegal, and said she hopes that next year the necessary consensus will be reached to establish a regulatory framework for iGaming.

Against this backdrop, she said the incoming government of José Antonio Kast could help reopen the legislative debate around the bill, which currently remains in the Chamber of Deputies.

What is the ACCJ’s assessment of 2025?

2025 was a challenging year for the regulated gambling industry. There were meaningful advances, though still not enough to reach the level of modernisation Chile needs. We made progress in bringing the debate on the illegality of online gambling to the fore, strengthened joint work with municipalities and authorities, and increased visibility of the contribution land-based casinos make to regional development, formal employment and tax revenues.

We also succeeded in more firmly positioning the urgency of a modern, symmetrical and enforceable framework that genuinely protects users and clearly distinguishes the formal industry from an illegal market that continues to grow rapidly. However, there is still a need for greater political resolve, more time and higher priority on the legislative agenda to drive the deep regulatory reform required to build a robust, competitive industry fully aligned with international standards.

Overall, our assessment is positive: we advanced in positioning, technical rigour and institutional dialogue. But the challenge remains and requires a more decisive commitment if regulation is to move at the pace demanded by the country and by users.

Which piece of news or event in the gambling industry do you consider the most important of the year, and why?

Without question, the most significant development of the year was the launch of the study Pantallas que Atrapan (“Screens That Captivate”), produced by the Responsible Gambling Corporation, of which the ACCJ is a partner. For the first time in Chile, we have systematised evidence of how children, adolescents and young people are being exposed — often without supervision — to content, influencers and dynamics linked to online gambling across social networks and digital platforms.

This study not only opened an urgent debate on digital wellbeing, the protection of minors and new forms of covert advertising; it also positioned the regulated industry as a proactive actor in prevention and responsible gambling. For us, it was a milestone because it put concrete data where there had previously been only intuitions and scattered warnings.

Secondly, the Supreme Court ruling that reaffirmed the illegality of online betting platforms in Chile marked another major milestone in the public debate. That decision underscored the urgency of a clear, modern and enforceable law, and reinforced the need to strengthen criminal and administrative enforcement tools to protect users. It also confirmed something the ACCJ has warned about for years: without regulation, informal markets fill the gaps.

What expectations does the association have for 2026?

We hope that 2026 will be the year Chile finally adopts comprehensive regulation for the gambling industry. As the ACCJ, we trust the new political cycle will create space for a technical, balanced debate grounded in evidence.

Our focus will be on three pillars: regulatory symmetry between the physical and digital spheres; consumer protection, especially for young people and minors; and strengthening the State’s supervisory capacity. We aspire to a modern, transparent industry with clear rules, operating under a single standard in both land-based and digital environments.

The legislative discussion on regulating online gambling stalled in 2025. What can be expected under the new government?

With a new government taking office, an opportunity should emerge to resume the bill with a renewed sense of urgency. Today, there is a broad, cross-party consensus on the need to regulate: for reasons of security, public health, tax revenues and, above all, the protection required by children and adolescents. 

We hope the Executive will prioritise this issue within its economic and security agenda, because the absence of regulation has only strengthened the illegal market. As the ACCJ, we remain available to contribute data, regulatory experience and proposals that ensure a modern, fair and effective law.