ODECU detects seven cases of betting promoted by Chilean clubs
The Chilean Consumers and Users Organization (OCUC) highlighted seven cases where online betting platforms were promoted by First Division clubs, focusing on an area often overlooked: the responsibility of the sports institution providing its platform. The report argues that a club is not a neutral billboard when it incorporates a brand onto its site, disseminates the operator's own messages, presents it as a sponsor, or directs fans to a registration page, all while the regulation of online gambling in Chile remains stalled in Congress.
The study documented betting brands in sponsorship spaces, on jerseys, and on official websites, with 34 endorsements, 18 original images, and six digital journeys. In several of these journeys, the link did not lead to an institutional page but to a registration form, offering promotions and incentives aimed at users in Chile. In one case, involving the operator Royal, the form requested first and last name, phone number, and email, and displayed offers in Chilean pesos and registration bonuses.
The central finding is an absence. In what the survey captured from the clubs' websites and media, there was generally no minimum age notice or any warning about gambling addiction alongside the promotions. Some destination platforms did include the 18+ age reference, and Royal additionally displayed an explicit warning about the possibility of developing an addiction. The organization emphasizes why this asymmetry matters: a person can be exposed to advertising disseminated by the club without ever entering the platform where the warning is located.
The report also recorded statements that, it argues, someone should be able to verify. Cobresal used the phrase "the safest online casino," and O'Higgins published text describing games as "safe and responsible," two phrases that attribute a verifiable quality to a service whose local authorization is under discussion. Stefan Larenas Riobó, president of the organization, stated: "Clubs cannot disclaim responsibility for what they promote to their fans and consumers." The leader added a definition regarding the scope of the age notice, stating that "the 18+ notice alone does not inform about the risks associated with gambling," and placed the duty of protection at the time of advertising, not after registration.
The other key aspect is legal and points to prior due diligence. The organization notes that a foreign license, or the application process for one, as observed, is not sufficient in itself to accredit authorization to operate online gambling in Chile. Therefore, it proposes determining what background checks each club conducted before accepting sponsorship, approving a campaign, or facilitating a link. Responsibility, it adds, should be graduated according to what each institution specifically did, from incorporating the brand into its media to disseminating its own messages or enabling direct access. The final proposal includes specific rules for betting advertising in digital campaigns, broadcasts, stadiums, and on jerseys, with attention to spaces where children and adolescents are present, clear warnings about money loss and addiction risk, and the cessation of this advertising in products for minors, in children's activities, and in football schools, a line that Minister of Sport Francisco Riveros has also been promoting.
The report delves into the gap left by Congress, and that is the most relevant aspect of the proposal. Chile does not yet have a licensing regime for online gambling, so the discussion about advertising cannot be resolved with the usual manual, which consists of requiring a licensed operator to use a specific advertising format. Without licenses to condition, the only actor with a legal domicile in the country and something to lose is the club, and that is where the organization is pointing. This is the same logic that explains why the telecommunications authority ended up ordering domain blocks: when the fundamental regulation is missing, intervention targets the intermediaries who are within reach of Chilean law.
Tags: ODECU, Chile, gambling advertising, sports sponsorships