The Chilean sports minister targets betting sponsorships
The Chilean Minister of Sport finds it inappropriate for a company questioned by the justice system to appear on a football club's jersey. Francisco Riveros stated this on the podcast "Cómo te lo explico" and added that the only way to stop this is to accelerate the debate in Congress that Chile has been postponing.
His proposal goes to the heart of the matter. For the minister, the Executive must decide as soon as possible which of the two paths it will take: formalize the activity with explicit regulation or prohibit it altogether. His interpretation is that illegal operations are largely sustained because platforms are located outside the country, beyond the direct reach of Chilean authorities.
Riveros also outlined what a potential law should contain. He highlighted protection against gambling addiction, with a focus on adolescents, and added two definitions that do not currently exist: the extent to which advertising can go, and whether an active athlete can or cannot lend their image to commercially represent one of these brands.
The timing is not coincidental. While parliamentary discussion continues without concrete progress, the Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel) recently ordered the DNS blocking of 37 portals and mirror sites linked to online betting, an order directed at the country's largest internet providers, executing the decisions made by the Supreme Court and the Santiago Court of Appeals regarding the illegality of these operations.
Riveros has held the sports portfolio since August 2026, appointed by President José Antonio Kast. His intervention adds a voice to the Chilean debate that had been absent until now: that of the State in its role as a sports authority, a different angle from that of the bodies that had been discussing blockages, taxes, or licenses.
Tags: Francisco Riveros, Betting sponsorships in Chilean football, Online gambling regulation in Chile, Protection of minors