Chile: Betting Sites Accessible Despite Supreme Court Blockade
Although telecommunications companies reported having executed the blocking ordered by the Supreme Court, online betting platforms continue to operate in Chile through new domains and alternative routes, highlighting the technical and legal limitations of the current control system.
The companies grouped in Chile Telcos, Entel, Claro/VTR, Movistar, and WOM, confirmed that they submitted to the court the reports proving the implementation of the block on the 12 URLs specified in the ruling, reiterating that they acted “in a timely and complete manner,” as was the case with a similar ruling in 2023.
The resolution of the highest court emphasizes that only Polla Chilena, Lotería de Concepción, and Teletrak are legally authorized to operate online gambling in the country.
A block that dissolves before new addresses
Despite the technical execution, the affected platforms quickly reappeared under variations of domain names, rendering the initial block practically ineffective.
The CEO of Chile Telcos, Alfie Ulloa, explained that internet providers do not have the authority to extend the block on their own initiative:
“We can only act on the URLs specified in the court order. There is no power to block traffic based on its content or origin without an explicit mandate.”
Ulloa added that companies lack tools to prevent access through VPNs, private DNS, or other means beyond the control of telcos.
Criticism from the regulated sector
From the authorized industry, Macarena Carvallo, president of Polla Chilena, questioned that the unauthorized platforms reacted in advance by changing domains and called on the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (SUBTEL) to issue clearer and more expedited guidelines to ensure effective compliance with the ruling.
The block ordered by the Supreme Court, issued at the end of September after accepting a claim from Lotería de Concepción, was intended to prevent access to addresses associated with operators such as Betano, Coolbet, Betsson, and BetWarrior, among others.
However, lawyer Carlos Baeza, representative of five of the main online betting houses in Chile, stated weeks ago that the resolution only affects ISPs and not the platforms, which can continue operating under other domains as long as there is no law expressly regulating the activity.
Towards more robust legislation
For Manuel Zárate Campos, legal head of the Superintendence of Gambling Casinos (SCJ), the resolution of the highest court marks “a turning point.” In statements to Focus Gaming News, he highlighted that the Court has made clear that online gambling is prohibited by default, except for explicit legal authorization, which limits permitted activities to a very small number of operators.
Zárate Campos pointed out that this scenario reinforces the importance of the bill under consideration, which would grant the future Superintendence direct powers to order blocks, sanction illegal platforms, and intervene without needing to resort to a court ruling for each case.
According to the lawyer, the lack of these tools generates the current “cat and mouse game” between authorities and unauthorized operators, making it difficult to protect consumers and the integrity of the market.
Tags: Chile, online casino regulation, online casino blocking, online casinos Chile