Chile accelerates online betting regulation bill after receiving highest legislative urgency

Chile’s Senate must discuss Bill 14838-03 within 15 days after the executive granted the online betting regulation proposal the highest legislative urgency on Wednesday, May 7.

The bill, now in its second constitutional reading, seeks to create a licensing, tax, compliance, and enforcement framework for online betting platforms. It was introduced in March 2022 under the Piñera administration, retained by the Boric government through repeated urgency motions, and has now been accelerated again under President José Antonio Kast.

The move follows a November Supreme Court ruling that ordered major internet companies operating in Chile to block access to all illegal online betting sites within five days. The court held that only Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción, and Teletrak are legally authorized to offer online gambling in the country.

Under the bill, operators would have to obtain a general operating license and incorporate in Chile as closed corporations with an exclusive object. They would also be required to disclose the origin of their funds, shareholders, and ultimate beneficial owners.

The existing Superintendency of Gaming Casinos would be transformed into the Superintendency of Casinos, Betting and Games of Chance, with authority to grant licenses, supervise technical compliance, sanction violations, and access platforms remotely in real time to monitor bets, payments, and financial flows.

Licensed operators would pay a 20% tax on gross gaming income, plus value-added tax. The proposal also includes a 1 percent responsible-gaming contribution on annual gross revenue, a 15% tax on user winnings at withdrawal, and a 2% share of sports betting income for national sports federations.

The bill would make operators obligated entities under anti-money-laundering rules for reporting suspicious operations. It would also add new offenses to Chile’s Law on the Criminal Liability of Legal Persons, with prison terms and fines of 11 to 200 monthly tax units for operating without a license.

A National Self-Exclusion Register would apply to both online platforms and physical casinos, with a minimum exclusion period of six months.

Companies that operated in Chile without a license during the 12 months before applying would be barred from requesting a license. To regularize their position, they would have to pay a one-off substitute tax of 31 percent on gross income for the previous 36 months.

The Senate approved the project in August 2025 by 27 votes in favor, three against, and five abstentions. It was then sent for detailed review by the Joint Committees of Economy and Finance, with amendments due by 12:00 p.m. on September 29, but no substantial progress had been reported until the latest urgency motion.