The Court of Santiago admits Latamwin's appeal against the blocking
The SCJ and Subtel must submit a report and respond to the accusations regarding the operator's illegality and lack of authority.
Chile lists 26 gaming venues in the iGaming.bet B2B directory, across 25 cities. Cities with the highest concentration of venues: Iquique (2), Antofagasta (1), Arica (1), Calama (1), Castro (1).
Among the most popular casinos in Chile are: Casino Luckia Arica (Arica), Dreams Coyhaique Casino & Hotel (Coyhaique), Antay Casino & Hotel Copiapó (Copiapó), Dreams Temuco Casino & Hotel (Temuco), Gran Casino de Talca (Talca), Marina del Sol Iquique (Iquique), Dreams Puerto Montt Casino & Resort (Puerto Montt), Marina del Sol Chillán (Chillán), Enjoy Antofagasta Casino & Resort (Antofagasta), Enjoy Viña del Mar Casino & Resort (Viña del Mar).
Chile was for decades one of South America countries with the most restrictive gaming policy. Casinos were prohibited in the national territory until Law 19,995 of 2005 created the legal framework allowing gaming casinos in the country tourist regions under a private operator concession model supervised by the State. Before this law, the only legal gaming in Chile was the Polla Chilena de Beneficencia and horse racing bets, while casino games operated in a legal grey area in some municipalities. With the 2005 law Chile went from zero to 24 casinos in less than a decade, being South American gaming history fastest physical expansion.
The sector regulator in Chile is the Gaming Casino Superintendency (SCJ), created by Law 19,995 as a technical body under the Ministry of Interior. The SCJ is responsible for granting, maintaining and revoking operating licenses, supervising responsible gaming compliance and overseeing revenue collection. The specific gaming tax in Chile is 20% of gross revenue, distributed equally between the municipality where the casino operates and the corresponding regional government, constituting a relevant financing source for lower tax-base communes in tourist regions.
Valparaíso Region has in Casino Enjoy Viña del Mar the highest tradition and volume gaming establishment in Chile, located in the Garden City heart steps from the Flower Clock and Quinta Vergara. Casino Enjoy Santiago, in the Pudahuel sector, is the capital largest with direct access from Route 68 and the International Airport. In the north, Enjoy Antofagasta, inaugurated in 2023 with 700 machines and 30 tables, is the largest casino in northern Chile and the most recent major sector investment. Coquimbo Region has Enjoy Coquimbo and Ovalle Casino Resort as its references in the La Serena-Coquimbo conurbation, the world astronomy capital. Los Lagos Region has Dreams Puerto Montt as the gateway to Chilean Patagonian gaming. The south has Casino Enjoy Puerto Varas and Casino Punta Arenas as its highest tourism-value establishments, combining gaming with world-class natural settings.
The two dominant groups in the Chilean market are Enjoy S.A., Chile largest casino chain present in Viña del Mar, Santiago, Antofagasta, Coquimbo, Iquique, Arica, Temuco, Puerto Varas and Punta Arenas, and Grupo Dreams, an Enjoy subsidiary with establishments in Valdivia, Puerto Montt, Temuco and other southern cities. The Marina del Sol chain operates in Iquique and Talca under municipal concessions. The Chilean market has low international operator penetration due to the regional concession model that favors domestic groups with local market experience.
The SCJ and Subtel must submit a report and respond to the accusations regarding the operator's illegality and lack of authority.
The position has been vacant for seven months, and the call explicitly requests proposals to update the gaming regulatory model.
The legal filing targets Casino del Mar S.A., Casino de Chile SpA, and Enjoy S.A. for an accumulated amount that was never paid.
A proposed regulation would prevent payment operators from processing deposits and payouts for unauthorized platforms in Chile.
The Chilean operator closed the semester with an operating loss and attributed the revenue decline to online gambling and unregulated venues.
The document proposes licensing, player protection, advertising limits, and a dedicated tax regime that could generate USD 300 million annually.
There are 39 platforms registered under the special regime and another ten incorporated through a change of subject, with the first quarterly payment scheduled for October.
Approximately ten operators migrated to international domains to circumvent DNS blocking, and the state-owned company will continue monitoring to update the list.
Romina Garrido stated that what is illegal for an undersecretariat should be illegal for the entire government, and anticipated that the blockade would be permanent and cyclical.
In less than 48 hours, several platforms altered letters or numbers in their addresses to continue operating. Specialists and industry associations agree that the blocking measures are insufficient.