Chile Senate Amendments Shift Betting Bill Toward Private-Operator Ban

Two full-text substitute amendments filed on 16 October 2026 would outlaw private online betting platforms in Chile rather than license them under Boletín 14.838-03. Senators Diego Ibáñez and Gastón Saavedra proposed a ban that limits online games to those run under existing law by Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción, licensed racecourses and casinos; Senate president Paulina Núñez filed an alternative that reserves digital channels to the two lotteries and carries tougher penalties. The executive did not file any amendments by the original 16 October deadline and now has until 26 October to submit its text.

What the two substitute texts would do

The substitute from Diego Ibáñez and Gastón Saavedra would make it an offence to operate, offer or advertise any online betting platform taking bets from Chile, except games run under existing law by Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción, licensed racecourses and casinos. Breaches would carry prison terms of 541 days to five years and fines of 200 to 1,000 UTM (approximately $14,700 to $73,500). Internet providers, app stores and payment processors would have five days to block platforms notified by the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ). Platforms registered with the Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII) could continue to operate for up to 24 months, but without advertising.

Paulina Núñez's full replacement text goes further. It reserves online gambling to Polla Chilena de Beneficencia and Lotería de Concepción and explicitly states that casino and racing licences do not extend to digital channels. Running an unauthorised platform would carry five to 10 years in prison and fines of 1,000 to 5,000 UTM; offences involving admitting minors or evading a block via new domains would carry up to 15 years and fines of 10,000 UTM (about $735,000). A judge of the San Miguel Court of Appeals would order permanent blocks to be executed within 48 hours and extendable to mirror sites. Adults who knowingly bet on an illegal platform three or more times in 90 days would face fines of 2 to 20 UTM. Unauthorised operators would have to close 90 days after publication.

"Online betting houses are not an innocent business," Paulina Núñez said, adding that "the State cannot become a tax partner of a problem it has a duty to prevent."

Gastón Saavedra described earlier government amendments as "extremely lax" and "permissive," and said: "If there is no will to regulate, it is better to prohibit."

Legislative timetable and context

Boletín 14.838-03 entered Congress in March 2022 and the Senate approved it in general on 13 August 2025 by 27 votes to three with five abstentions, as a framework to create a licensed market with taxation and player protections. The bill remains in its second constitutional stage; after the Economy Committee it must go to the Finance Committee before a floor vote. The Senate's amendments bulletin dated 16 October 2026 lists 593 numbered amendments, up from 576 in May. The executive filed no amendments by the 16 October deadline; the Senate's party committees extended the filing window to 12:00 on 26 October 2026.

Interior Minister and government spokesman Claudio Alvarado told press that the government needed "additional time" to reach consensus between the Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency (Segpres) and the four sponsoring ministries — Finance, Economy, Justice and Health; Segpres denied that characterization in press reporting.

Enforcement while the law is pending

Enforcement already relies on administrative blocking and court processes. Following the Supreme Court's 2025 ruling for Lotería de Concepción, Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones (Subtel) ordered internet providers in September to block 42 domains and later 37 more. Operators W&C N.V., which runs Latamwin and WinChile, and Epicbet's operator have sued, arguing that the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ) and Subtel exceeded the court orders; neither company has obtained interim relief.

The SCJ validates domain lists, Subtel forwards blocking orders, and financial measures are progressing at the Servicio de Impuestos Internos. The SII told senators in September that 39 platforms were registered with it and that about $100 million was expected to be reported in October 2026. The SII's UTM value for October 2026 is CLP 72,151, which underpins the conversions cited in the amendments.

Political leverage and negotiation dynamics

Both substitute texts perform as negotiating leverage as well as policy positions. Saavedra has previously proposed licences limited to locally incorporated operators, a specific tax and disclosure of beneficial owners; senators Matías Walker and Ricardo Celis joined that 8 September request. Saavedra's substitute therefore reads as a conditional prohibition: an alternative if licensing requirements the chair wants are not adopted. Núñez's substitute carries political weight because her party controls Segpres, the ministry implicated in the government's delayed filing. With the executive yet to file its text by the 16 October deadline, both substitutes mark the outer bounds of what the Senate could accept.

Fiscal and operational effects of a ban

Both substitutes would harden the current enforcement apparatus rather than replace it, and both would end the fiscal arrangement now in place at different speeds. Saavedra's 24-month transitional window would allow the state to continue collecting from SII-registered platforms for up to two years; Núñez's 90-day closure period would terminate that arrangement almost immediately.

Brazil provides a comparison for how contested a banning path can be: a decree in Brazil that banned fixed-odds betting produced 99 amendments to restore licences. Chile's legislature has spent four years drafting a licensing regime and is now drafting the prohibition alternative. The government's text, due on 26 October 2026, will indicate which path the executive prefers.