As many locals know, gambling has played an important role in Chile’s history and culture. Ever since first made an appearance in 1852, the interest soared higher and higher. In fact, we are now living in a time where online gambling has skyrocketed the world by a mile. However, there are still some rules you need to take note of if you intend on playing online casino games from Chile.
If you wish to learn more about gambling legislation in Chile, just keep reading. We’ll be giving you some insights into the Chilean gambling industry along with outlining the laws that are currently in place.
An Overview of Chile’s Gambling Industry
Chilean locals have been participating in legal gambling activities from more than 100 years. As stated previously, gambling has played a significant role in the development of the country’s traditions and culture. Nowadays, it is one of the largest gambling markets in the whole of Latin America.
Enthusiasts have free rein to visit multiple land-based casinos, take part in state lotteries, as well as place bets on different forms of sports betting events and horse racing.
At the time of writing, there are over 20 land-based venues that are licensed. This includes a number of poker rooms and brick and mortar venues all of which form part of the Polla Chilena lottery. Meanwhile, the sports betting market in Chile has also been making some waves. Anyone can place bets, as long as you are at least 18 years of age.
In terms of legislation, the gambling market in Chile is licensed and regulated by the Chilean Gaming Control board. Over the last few years, measures have been set to better regulate forms of gambling that are legal in the country. Nevertheless, the legalization of online gaming remains somewhat of a grey area.
Online Gambling Laws
At the time of writing, the operation of online casinos remains illegal in Chile. Considering the country’s extensive history on gambling, this is quite surprising. Lots of players have expressed their concerns towards putting fair regulations in place, but it seems that the legalizing of online casinos won’t happen any time soon. In fact, it could take years before this happens.
All this comes after a study that was carried out in 2017. According to the results, over 33,000 machines were found to be operating illegally. This lead the Chilean government to impost further measures on the online gambling market.
That said, the situation is not all bad. In fact, this mainly affects operators who are interested in offering their services in the country. Chilean players can actually still create online casino accounts with licensed offshore casinos. Some great contenders can be found on casinoonlineenchile.cl. In this regard, Chilean players are spoiled for choice when it comes to the selection of games and bonuses.
In this regard, players can play all the casino classics including poker, blackjack, roulette, slots, live casino from reputable providers such as NetEnt, Microgaming and Evolution Gaming. If casino isn’t really your cup of tea, you can always opt for sports betting. Bottom line, you definitely have options. Best of all, both online casinos and online sportsbooks offer multiple bonuses that you can get your hands on. What’s not to like?!
Moving Forward
So, what’s our takeaway from this? Truthfully, it doesn’t seem like the government will give online casinos the green light anytime soon. Given that the market is growing at steady pace, we can only hope that the lawmakers come up with fair solution for both parties – the government and the casino operators.
That said, the possibility of legalizing them is still there. If we take into consideration the revenues that the market is making, this might change the lawmakers’s perspective on things. According to Mordor Intelligence, online casinos are set to make more than $87.75 billion in revenue by 2024 with a growth rate of 8.77% per year. It’s definitely something to think about.
