Chile’s sports minister calls for online betting rules as Subtel blocks 37 domains

Chile’s Minister of Sport, Francisco Riveros, says the country needs to decide how to handle online betting platforms, including whether to regulate them or ban them. The timing matters for high-risk operators because the government is already moving on enforcement: Subtel has blocked 37 new domains tied to online gaming and sports betting.

1. Speaking on the podcast Cómo te lo explico, Riveros argued that Chile must define a legal framework for online betting platforms. In his view, the discussion runs from setting operating rules to outright prohibition, and he said he is gathering background information before deciding which option fits the sector best.
2. Riveros said any Chilean rule should address problem gambling, especially among minors, and the effect of betting on sport. He also wants the government to define what relationship active athletes can have with these companies: whether they can serve as brand faces and whether they can take part in the same sponsorship deals.
3. The minister also criticized sponsorship agreements between betting companies and sports clubs while there is no specific legal framework for the activity. Asked whether it is acceptable for a company declared illegal by the Supreme Court to sponsor a club, he said no and added that “the door has to be closed as soon as possible.”
4. Riveros said the government of José Antonio Kast is working on regularizing betting, but noted that he has not yet been consulted as minister because the matter is handled by the Subsecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel).
5. Subtel ordered the blocking of 37 new domains linked to online gaming and sports betting and notified internet service providers, acting under court rulings that require the blocking of gaming and betting platforms. After that order, lawmakers from the Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI) questioned the Servicio de Impuestos Internos (SII) for continuing to collect taxes from these companies despite the Supreme Court’s illegality ruling.

Transport and Telecommunications Minister Louis De Grange rejected the claim that blocking domains and collecting taxes create a contradiction. Speaking on Radio Cooperativa, he said Subtel is acting within the functions set by the regulations and by judicial decisions, coordinating with the Superintendencia de Casinos before passing the blocking list to telecom companies for execution.