Chile betting bill shifts towards prohibition as amendment deadline extended
Chile's Senate has given the government until 26 October to submit amendments to the online betting bill, as proposals to restrict private platforms gain ground.
Chile's Senate extended until midday 26 October the deadline for amendments to Bill 14,838-03, after the government missed the 16 October cutoff. Committees granted ten more days at the executive's request for technical discussions. Interior minister Claudio Alvarado said more time was needed to seek consensus.
The bill originally sought a regulated private market with licensing, taxation, ownership-disclosure and player-protection rules. It was approved in principle 27-3 with five abstentions in August 2025 and remains in its second constitutional stage. New amendments from Economy Committee president Gastón Saavedra and senator Diego Ibáñez would bar private platforms while preserving existing regimes for Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción, authorised racecourses and land-based casinos.
Their plan would impose criminal penalties and require internet, app and payment companies to block unauthorised access and transactions, with up to 24 months' transition for tax-registered platforms. Senate president Paulina Núñez separately proposed reserving online gambling for law-authorised entities, with blocking, fines up to 10,000 monthly tax units and prison terms up to 15 years in aggravated cases. Her proposal includes verification, betting limits and self-exclusion.
