Chile Online Gambling Crackdown Widens as Subtel Orders 37 More Domains Blocked
Chile · Technology
Key Facts
- —What happened Telecoms regulator Subtel announced on 21 September 2026 that six internet providers must block 37 more betting domains within 48 hours.
- —Who is targeted New domains, subdomains and mirror sites linked to 15 brands, including Betano, Betsson, Bet365, Betfair and 1xbet.
- —The legal basis A Supreme Court ruling of 30 September 2025, won by Lotería de Concepción, a lottery owned by the Universidad de Concepción.
- —The catch Chile online gambling brands have repeatedly answered blocks by opening new addresses, so the lists keep growing.
- —How big the lists are Subtel’s orders this month cover 79 web addresses, after 12 sites named in the original ruling.
- —What is still missing A licensing law. The bill has passed the Chamber of Deputies and is before the Senate’s economy committee.
A court ruling, not a new law, is driving the campaign. The betting brands keep opening mirror sites, and the bill to license them is still in the Senate.
Chile online gambling brands lost another batch of web addresses this week. The Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel), Chile’s telecoms regulator, announced it on Monday 21 September 2026.
Entel, Movistar, Claro, GTD, WOM and VTR must block 37 more betting domains within 48 hours of notification. It is the latest round in a court-ordered campaign that betting brands keep sidestepping with new addresses.
A court ruling, not a new law
The blocks do not come from new legislation. Subtel said it acted “in strict compliance” with rulings of the Supreme Court and the Santiago Court of Appeals.
The case was brought by Lotería de Concepción, a lottery owned by the Universidad de Concepción. It sued the country’s main internet providers for letting unlicensed betting sites reach Chilean users.
On 30 September 2025 the Supreme Court ruled in its favour, by majority. The state lottery Polla Chilena de Beneficencia backed it as a supporting third party.
The court held that games of chance are illegal in Chile unless a law expressly authorises them. For online games, only the two lotteries and the racing firm Teletrak hold such permission.
What the 37 domains are
According to Subtel, the new list covers domains, subdomains and mirror sites tied to 15 brands. They include Betano, Betsson, Bet365, Betfair, Betway, 1xbet and Marathonbet.
The Superintendency of Casino Gaming, the state casino watchdog, validated the list. Subtel then sent it to the providers for blocking at the level of the Domain Name System, the internet’s address book.
The providers must prove compliance directly to the Santiago Court of Appeals, under the penalties that court has set. They must also tell Subtel the exact date and time of each block.
A game of whack-a-mole
The original ruling named 12 sites, which the providers said they had blocked by November 2025. The operators simply changed their addresses, La Tercera reported.
The lotteries asked for the mirror sites to be blocked as well. In April 2026 the Supreme Court overturned a finding that its order had been met.
The Santiago Court of Appeals then set a five-step procedure, reported on 8 August 2026.
Under it, the lotteries report suspect addresses, the casino watchdog validates them and Subtel instructs the providers. The first list under it, of 42 addresses, went out on 1 September 2026.
Within days, more than ten online casinos had told customers of new addresses, BioBioChile reported. Monday’s 37 domains are the answer, and Subtel says the procedure will keep repeating.
That brings Subtel’s two lists this month to 79 addresses. La Cuarta, a Santiago tabloid, described Monday’s order as the third blocking request of the campaign.
A grey zone that pays tax
For foreigners, the Chilean position looks contradictory. International betting brands advertise openly, and many have sponsored the country’s professional football.
When the Supreme Court ruled in 2025, nine of the 16 first-division clubs carried online betting sponsors, the broadcaster Cooperativa counted. The national team had none.
The state is also preparing to tax these platforms. Chile’s tax service, the SII, has registered 39 platforms to pay value-added tax.
The first quarterly payment is due in October, and the SII expects it to reach about US$100 million. Its director, Jorge Trujillo, says charging the tax does not validate the activity.
The Association of Gaming Casinos, which represents Chile’s licensed physical casinos, calls that a “gigantic contradiction”. Its members are barred from offering games online.
The law that would license them
A bill to regulate Chile online gambling platforms is bulletin 14838-03. It has passed the Chamber of Deputies and is before the Senate’s economy committee.
Successive governments have repeatedly marked it urgent, most recently in May 2026, but that urgency has lapsed. It has not been enacted.
A working group of Senate and Finance Ministry advisers was agreed in June. Three senators, including the economy committee chair, want licences, age checks and a specific betting tax.
The betting firms are fighting back in court. W&C N.V., which operates Latamwin, filed a constitutional protection action against the casino watchdog and Subtel over the 42-domain order.
The Santiago Court of Appeals admitted it on 11 September, the trade outlet Gaming Intelligence reported.
What it means for users
The block works at the level of the providers’ DNS servers. A user may find the page unavailable, law academic Juan Ignacio Contardo of the Universidad del Desarrollo told Canal 9.
Apuesta Legal Chile, a gambling affiliate site, has said such blocks affect only access to a domain, not deposits or balances. It has also warned of fake mirror sites posing as known brands.
None of these firms holds a Chilean licence for online betting. The casino watchdog had sent 123 complaints to prosecutors since 2018, its then head told senators in June.
Most came from customers of online platforms, including over trouble collecting winnings.
More: Chile coverage, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is online gambling legal in Chile?
Not for private operators. The Supreme Court ruled on 30 September 2025 that games of chance, online or not, are illegal unless a law expressly authorises them. That is the basis for Chile online gambling blocks. Only the lotteries Polla Chilena and Lotería de Concepción and the racing company Teletrak are authorised for certain online games. A bill to license private platforms is still in the Senate.
Who is behind the blocking campaign?
Lotería de Concepción, a lottery owned by the Universidad de Concepción, filed the original case against the internet providers. The state lottery Polla Chilena de Beneficencia backed it. Both report suspect domains. The Superintendency of Casino Gaming validates them, and the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel), Chile’s telecoms regulator, orders the blocks. Licensed physical casinos, through their trade association, also oppose the online platforms.
Which providers must block the sites?
Entel, Movistar, Claro, GTD, WOM and VTR. They have 48 hours from notification to block each listed domain through the Domain Name System. They must then prove compliance to the Santiago Court of Appeals and tell Subtel the exact date and time of each block.
What happens to my betting account if a site is blocked?
The block works at the level of the six providers’ DNS servers, so the site may simply stop loading. Apuesta Legal Chile, a gambling affiliate site, says such blocks affect access to a domain, not deposits or balances. The operators hold no Chilean licence for online betting. The casino watchdog’s then head told senators in June 2026 that most of its 123 complaints to prosecutors since 2018 came from online platform customers.
Sources: Subtel on the 37-domain order, Subtel on the 42-site order and its list, BioBioChile on the Supreme Court ruling, La Tercera on the first 12 blocks, La Tercera on the mirror-site ruling, La Tercera on the Court of Appeals procedure, La Cuarta on the third request, BioBioChile on mirror sites, Senate of Chile on the bill and VAT, Senate of Chile on the technical working group, BioBioChile on the tax service, BioBioChile on the casino association, Cooperativa on football sponsorship, Gaming Intelligence on the Latamwin appeal, Canal 9 on what the block means
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