The Asociación Chilena de Casinos y Juegos (ACCJ) trade body intensified calls for tougher regulation and enforcement measures targeting illegal gambling activities in its 2025 report, which was published on Monday.

The association’s stance follows mounting pressure across Chile’s regulated land-based casinos. The country’s land-based gross gaming revenue fell in 2025 to CLP509.8 billion ($597.5 million), down 4.5% year-on-year. 

Total tax collection also decreased by 4.7% to CLP214 million. 

Licensed and unlicensed

Chile was home to 25 operating casinos in 2025, with 22 licensed under Law 19.995 and three municipal venues undergoing regulatory transition. 

Despite the stable number of establishments, the industry’s economic indicators revealed concerning trends:

• Visits to Law 19.995-authorised casinos dropped by 7.2% year-on-year to 926,873.
• Total tax revenue from the sector declined 4.7% in real terms to CLP214 million.
• Parallel estimates placed the size of Chile’s illegal online gambling market at approximately $3.1 billion.

These figures reinforced the ACCJ’s claims that the regulated market is losing ground to unauthorised operators. The year also saw increased normalisation of unauthorised online gambling platforms operating beyond Chilean regulatory oversight.

The issue escalated to the judiciary, culminating in a Chilean Supreme Court ruling mandating the blocking of illegal betting websites. 

The ACCJ cited this judicial action as necessary to curtail offshore and unlicensed operators siphoning revenues and compromising consumer safety.

At the time of the ruling, ACCJ President Cecilia Valdes said: “We deeply appreciate the Supreme Court’s clear ruling on online gambling platforms, stating that they are illegal in Chile.” 

Under current law, gambling is illegal in Chile unless offered by the Concepción Lottery, Polla Chilena, racetracks or at expressly authorised gambling casinos. 

Legislative advocacy

The ACCJ bolstered its lobbying and technical contributions to two significant legislative initiatives in 2025.

The first, Boletín 14.838-03 was a bill regulating online betting platforms, which secured a successful general vote in the Senate on 13 August (27 in favour, 3 against, 5 abstentions) and proceeded to the committee stage for further amendments.

The second, Boletín 15.975-25 was a proposal to establish a “Subsistema de Inteligencia Económica” featuring measures to prevent and alert authorities about organised crime-linked activities.

Throughout the year, the ACCJ continued to submit detailed technical memoranda.

The association’s central argument is that any forthcoming regulations must go beyond simply legitimising current practices.

Instead, they should impose balanced obligations on all operators, including over taxation, transaction traceability, consumer protection and enforceable compliance to prevent newly legalised platforms from benefiting from previously illegal operations.

ACCJ’s collaboration with municipal governments, prosecutors, the Internal Revenue Service (SII) and police forces highlighted an alarming rise in clandestine gambling venues. This was in regions such as Antofagasta, Ovalle, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, Los Ángeles and Castro, as well as in municipalities surrounding Santiago. 

The association linked these illicit venues to broader informal economies, tax evasion and, in some instances, organised crime networks. 

In response, the ACCJ organised and participated in regional workshops and coordinated enforcement initiatives. Key activities included the “2nd Day Against Illicit Trade and Organised Crime,” hosted with the national Chamber of Commerce (CNC) and OCIS.

Youth exposure to online gambling sparks social concern

A landmark study was published in 2025 – Pantallas que atrapan: Radiografía del juego online en jóvenes chilenos – coordinated by the Corporación de Juego Responsable and Corporación Copreventive.

It offered the first extensive national insight into young Chileans’ engagement with online betting. The study’s key findings included:

• 26% of young people reported placing online bets within the previous 12 months.
• The average age at gambling initiation was 15.5 years.
• 92% had encountered gambling advertisements via social media or livestream platforms.
• Micro-bets predominate, with 79% wagering less than CLP10,000.
• A significant overlap exists between videogaming and gambling, with 62% of young people playing video games incorporating chance mechanisms such as loot boxes.

Prompted by these results, the ACCJ expanded its outreach beyond industry circles to include health professionals and ministry officials. The association emphasised that regulation must be complemented by education, digital literacy initiatives and mental health prevention to mitigate youth gambling risks.

Kathryn Evans

Kathryn covers bitesize breaking news with a primary focus on EMEA and US legislation. A proud North Walian, fluent Welsh speaker and lifelong Wrexham FC fan – long before Hollywood came calling.