Blocked betting in Chile reappears with another domain
The order had not yet finished being executed and was already being circumvented. Less than 48 hours after the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications instructed internet providers to block access to 42 betting sites, several of these platforms had migrated to new addresses to continue serving Chilean players. In some cases, the trick was minimal, changing a letter or a number in the original address.
The reaction was predictable, and the Undersecretariat itself left the door open to respond to it, because the procedure involves adding any domains, subdomains, and mirror sites that are detected, provided that the Superintendency of Gaming Casinos verifies them beforehand. The point specialists debate is whether this race can be won.
Macarena Carvallo, who chaired the board of Polla Chilena de Beneficencia and today directs the Legal Clinic of Universidad del Alba, told G5 Noticias that blocking the 42 sites was necessary but clearly insufficient given the adaptability of these platforms. Her argument is that the problem is not solved domain by domain, but with regulation that defines who can operate, under what conditions, and with what oversight.
From the authorized industry, the interpretation was similar, though with a different emphasis. Cecilia Valdés, executive president of the Chilean Association of Casinos and Gaming, praised the order to Radio Bío Bío but warned that it does not address the core issue, and highlighted a contradiction within the State itself: the government's signal does not align with that of the Internal Revenue Service, which months ago enabled a mechanism for these same platforms to pay digital VAT.
The Chilean Association of Online Betting Platforms objected to the measure from another angle. It argues that the resolution includes domains and operators that were not part of the original protection appeal nor were covered by the ruling. The association again called for progress on the bill that would create a specific framework for online betting, and recalled that at least 25 operators made the first payment of digital VAT, which in their opinion proves willingness to comply with the tax obligations set by the State.
The blocking continues its course in the meantime. The Undersecretariat defends it as strict compliance with what the courts ruled, and Undersecretary Romina Garrido asked telecommunications companies to act with the greatest possible speed. But the first practical test revealed the limit of the instrument: a judicial measure that takes weeks to process is neutralized in hours with a domain change.
Tags: Subtel, Macarena Carvallo, Cecilia Valdés, aPAL, Romina Garrido