Chilean casinos pay 38 pesos in taxes for every 100 pesos earned from gaming
The 22 casinos operating under Law 19,995 in Chile accrued CLP 141,329 million in taxes between January and September—approximately US$143.35 million—representing an 8.46 percent drop in real terms compared to the same period in 2025. Over the same timeframe, their gross gaming revenue (GGR) reached CLP 372,774 million, meaning the State retains 37.9 percent of casino win.
This is the key figure to keep in mind when debating the tax treatment of the online vertical, as it is the benchmark land-based casinos have been citing. Under the Executive branch's bill currently in the Senate, digital platforms would face a 19 percent VAT on margin plus an additional 3 percent tax, resulting in an effective rate of 22 percent. The gap with the 37.9 percent borne by brick-and-mortar venues is nearly 16 percentage points.
The breakdown of tax receipts shows where every peso comes from. The specific gambling tax generated CLP 61,688 million, accounting for 43.6 percent of the total; VAT contributed CLP 59,519 million, or 42.1 percent; and the casino entrance tax brought in CLP 20,123 million, the remaining 14.2 percent.
The allocation of these three levies differs, which explains why the downturn is causing more concern in municipalities than at the Ministry of Finance. Revenues from the specific tax are split evenly between the municipality and the regional government where the casino is located to fund infrastructure and development projects, whereas VAT and entrance tax proceeds flow directly into the national treasury's general fund.
The activity metrics warrant closer analysis, as the two key indicators are moving in opposite directions. The casinos logged 4,067,872 visits over the nine months—an 11.25 percent decrease year-on-year—yet average spend per visit climbed to CLP 91,639, a real-term increase of 3.82 percent. Compounded, these two movements result in a 7.86 percent drop, matching the 7.9 percent contraction in real terms reported by the Superintendency for gross gaming revenue.
The commercial takeaway from this intersection is that Chilean casinos are losing foot traffic rather than per-capita spend. Fewer people are walking through the doors, but those who do are spending more than before, even after accounting for inflation. This points to a customer base increasingly concentrated among higher spenders, while casual visitors fade away.
One noteworthy detail is that tax revenues declined faster than the underlying business. Tax collections dropped 8.46 percent in real terms compared to a 7.9 percent decrease in gross gaming revenue. This half-point discrepancy stems from the entrance tax, which is tied to attendance numbers rather than amounts wagered. When footfall drops, that revenue stream falls with it, dragging the total down below the broader business trend.
The three municipal concession casinos, which operate outside the Law 19,995 framework, posted CLP 29,163 million in gross gaming revenue, marking a real-term decline of 5.9 percent. Across both regulatory regimes, the Chilean land-based market generated CLP 401,937 million over the nine-month period.
Revenue from economic bids—the amounts pledged by operators when securing their licenses—reached CLP 54,374 million by the end of the third quarter, equivalent to 38.5 percent of all accrued taxes. The Tesorería General de la República manages these payments and disburses them to each municipality following the same timeline governing the specific tax, meaning within the following month.
This downturn did not start this year. A report by the Asociación Chilena de Casinos y Juegos published by La Tercera estimates that the funds municipalities and regional governments receive from the specific tax dropped by 12.6 percent between 2019 and 2025, with isolated drops of up to 39 percent, across a period shaped by the pandemic and the spread of unlicensed online platforms. The association's president, Cecilia Valdés, has been demanding legal certainty ahead of upcoming licensing tender processes.
The Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego is the agency that regulates, licenses, and oversees casinos in Chile, while Law 19,995 is the statute passed in 2005 that created the competitive licensing framework currently governing 22 properties—a regime distinct from the pre-existing municipal casinos. The specific gambling tax is levied on gross gaming revenue and is the only one of the three taxes whose proceeds remain entirely within the local jurisdiction where the property operates.
Tags: Chile, Superintendence of Casinos, tax collection, Law 19.995