Apuestas Royal: 11 clubs cost 70% less than 2 big ones
CEO Andrés Galperín detailed from Dubai the aggressive commercial maneuver that allowed them to cover 68% of the First Division for only US$ 3 million. The company, which operates under a Curacao license and is not part of the local trade association, assures that its investment is strictly advertising despite doubts about conflicts of interest.
The outlook for Chilean football in 2026 presents an unprecedented commercial hegemony. While historically brands fought for the "duopoly" of popularity, the firm Apuestas Royal has executed a saturation strategy that has allowed it to place its logo on 11 of the 16 teams in the First Division. The logic behind this omnipresence is purely financial, according to its CEO, Andrés Galperín, in a recent interview.
The executive explained that the initial negotiations involved the two giants of the country, Colo Colo and Universidad de Chile, but the economic demands of both clubs together exceeded US$ 10 million. Faced with this scenario, the company chose to diversify its investment, managing to close agreements with 68% of the league, including institutions such as Audax Italiano, Huachipato, Unión La Calera, and the newly promoted teams from Concepción, for a total outlay of just US$ 3 million. This "volume over individual prestige" maneuver gave them massive visibility for less than a third of the cost of the big teams.
The corporate link and the regulatory shadow
Apuestas Royal, whose corporate name is Bet N Play Solutions B.V. with fiscal domicile in Curacao, has burst into the Chilean market with a structure that differs from the traditional operators grouped in the local trade association. Its entry into the sports ecosystem was facilitated by the Grupo Atenti SpA, led by Carlos Puelma, who acted as a key intermediary to penetrate an industry seeking to maximize revenue in a context of legal uncertainty.
It is important to highlight that this aggressive expansion occurs in a context of regulatory fragility. Although the Bill regulating the development of online betting platforms (Bulletin 14838-03) has slowly progressed in the National Congress since its submission in 2022, the market operates in a gray area. Recent rulings by the Supreme Court of Chile have ordered the blocking of sites and bank accounts of offshore operators arguing the illegality of the activity under current regulations, which adds a layer of risk to the massive investment of brands without a local registered domicile.
Conflicts of interest and sports integrity
The presence of the same main sponsor in more than half of the teams in a professional league has raised alarms about sports integrity, a sensitive topic that has already been debated in jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom and Brazil. Having commercial interests in 11 direct competitors raises reasonable doubts about the brand's influence on the competition.
Galperín, based in Dubai, was blunt in dismissing these concerns and assured that the link with the clubs is strictly advertising. The executive stated that the company does not participate in any sporting or administrative decisions, limiting itself to using official marketing channels for brand positioning. Despite not being part of the Online Betting Platforms Association, an entity that brings together the main international operators advocating for regulation, Apuestas Royal maintains that it will comply with the regulatory framework once it is officially enacted, seeking to convey security to a market they describe as highly demanding and technological.
Tags: Chile, online betting Chile, Royal Chile Betting