Chile’s online casino groups push back on a proposed ban on advertising

Two trade groups representing digital betting operators in Chile, aPAL and AGR, have raised objections to government changes in the bill that would regulate the sector for the first time. They support regulation and player-protection measures, but they say a blanket ban on advertising and promotions could help illegal platforms more than licensed ones.

1. aPAL and AGR said they welcome the effort to create a specific legal framework for online betting in Chile. In their view, regulation would bring clearer operating rules, stronger state oversight, and better consumer protections for users.
2. Their main concern is the government’s proposed restrictions on advertising and promotions. The associations argue that if licensed operators cannot advertise, it becomes harder for players to tell them apart from unlicensed sites that operate outside the law.
3. That is the catch in most high-risk markets: if legal brands lose visibility, illegal ones do not disappear, they just become harder to distinguish. The groups said users could end up on sites that do not offer the same protections and are not subject to the controls planned for the regulated market.
4. The associations also said that any effective framework should include mechanisms to identify legal operators and direct consumers toward platforms under supervision. They described the legislative debate as a balancing act between preventing gambling addiction and allowing the business to operate legally.
5. For the sector, the key issue is not whether Chile regulates online betting, but how the rules are written. The groups want advertising limits assessed not only as a consumer-protection tool, but also for their effect on competition between licensed operators and illegal sites.