Chilean Senate President Paulina Núñez has proposed tougher penalties for illegal online gambling operators, including prison sentences of up to 15 years in aggravated cases. The proposal forms part of amendments to a bill regulating online betting platforms in Chile.
The initiative also предусматривает fines of up to 10,000 monthly tax units (UTM), criminal liability for companies involved in illegal operations and a judicial mechanism for permanently blocking websites and applications used to offer unlawful betting services.
The proposed measures aim to target not only the platforms themselves but also the people and businesses that manage, finance or commercially promote them.
Proposed Penalties for Illegal Gambling
Núñez’s amendment introduces a tougher criminal framework for activities connected with illegal online betting. Under the proposal, the most serious cases could carry prison sentences of up to 15 years.
Financial penalties could reach 10,000 UTM, while legal entities involved in the relevant activities could also face criminal liability.
The proposal identifies several circumstances that could aggravate an offence. These include using false identities or fictitious corporate structures to conceal the people who control a betting business, as well as links to organised criminal activity.
The highest penalties would apply in aggravated cases rather than automatically to every illegal betting operation. The proposed sanctions would become law only if the relevant provisions complete the legislative process and are enacted.
Permanent Blocking of Betting Websites and Applications
A central element of the amendment is a judicial procedure that would allow authorities to seek permanent blocking orders against websites, applications and other digital channels used for illegal betting.
The proposal is intended to address a recurring enforcement challenge: operators can attempt to resume activity through replacement domains or new platforms after an existing website has been blocked.
Under the proposed mechanism, restrictions could be extended to new digital services created specifically to circumvent an earlier prohibition, subject to the applicable judicial procedure.
The amendment also seeks to address the wider infrastructure supporting illegal gambling. It includes potential restrictions on certain payment services and criminal penalties for individuals or businesses that knowingly finance or commercially promote platforms despite being aware of their illegal origin.
The approach would therefore extend enforcement beyond website operators to other participants in the commercial chain.
Focus on Organised Crime and Consumer Protection
Núñez has argued that enforcement should target the business structures and financial flows behind illegal betting, rather than concentrating solely on the websites through which services are offered.
The senator has also raised concerns about the potential consequences of unregulated gambling, including problem gambling, household debt and the possible use of opaque online platforms by organised criminal groups.
The amendment includes provisions aimed at protecting vulnerable users. These include measures to prevent minors from participating through identity-verification requirements, as well as preventive tools such as voluntary betting limits and self-exclusion procedures.
These proposals would add consumer-protection requirements to the criminal and enforcement measures. Their final scope will depend on the text approved through the legislative process.
Debate Over Chile’s Online Betting Framework
The amendment comes amid a broader debate in Chile over how online betting should be regulated.
The legislation under consideration seeks to establish a framework for online gambling platforms. However, lawmakers disagree on whether the market should be opened to privately operated platforms under an authorisation system or whether online gambling should remain restricted to entities specifically authorised by law.
Núñez has criticised the focus on potential tax revenue from the legalisation of additional betting platforms, arguing that public safety and family protection should take priority.
Her proposal reflects a more restrictive approach, combining criminal penalties with measures intended to disrupt the financial and digital infrastructure of illegal operators.
What Happens Next?
The amendment is a legislative proposal, not an enacted law. Its provisions must be considered as part of the ongoing parliamentary debate over Chile’s online betting legislation.
If adopted, the measures could significantly increase the legal risks for operators found to be offering illegal betting services, as well as for businesses and individuals who knowingly support or promote them.
The proposed permanent-blocking mechanism could also affect how internet service providers, application platforms and payment companies respond to judicial orders involving illegal gambling.
For online betting operators and industry stakeholders, the key issue will be the final wording of the legislation, including the scope of prohibited activities, the circumstances that trigger aggravated penalties and the procedures required to impose blocking orders.
Until the bill completes the legislative process, the proposed prison terms and other sanctions should not be treated as current legal requirements.
Source: https://www.yogonet.com/id/internasional/berita/2026/10/21/126950-Presiden-Senat-Chili-mengusulkan-hukuman-hingga-15-tahun-penjara-bagi-operator-perjudian-ilegal
