Chile betting operators challenge website blocks
Two online betting operators have challenged Chile’s website-blocking regime in court, as the Senate considers a bill to regulate online betting.
W&C N.V., operator of Latamwin and WinChile, and Epicbet’s operator filed separate constitutional protection actions against Chile’s Superintendence of Casinos (SCJ) and the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel) over website blocks.
The challenges followed blocks of 42 URLs and 37 more domains, subdomains and mirror sites. W&C said Latamwin and WinChile were neither among the 12 original Supreme Court sites nor mirrors or redirects. The Santiago Court of Appeals admitted its case but granted no immediate relief, so the sites stayed blocked; admission was not a lawfulness ruling. Epicbet alleged Subtel removed a condition limiting extra blocks to the 12 original sites or direct copies, mirrors and redirects. The appeals court declared its action inadmissible, leaving the Supreme Court to decide. The SCJ said it followed established procedure; Subtel called its role technical, not discretionary.
Chile’s Senate is weighing online betting legislation in its second constitutional stage and extended the amendments deadline to 26 October after the original 16 October noon deadline passed without government amendments. Interior and Public Security Minister Claudio Alvarado said more time was needed for technical discussions.
