Chilean casinos object to tax in online betting bill

The casino sector in Chile is unhappy with the tax and transition provisions in the bill on online betting regulation being discussed in the Senate. Cecilia Valdés, President of the Chilean Casino and Gaming Association (ACCJ), says that while she welcomes the government's latest proposals, the unequal treatment of land-based and digital operators has not been resolved.

Under the bill, online operators would pay 19 percent VAT plus an additional 3 percent tax. The bill also provides that companies could operate by making a one-time payment of 3,000 UTM, roughly 190,000 US dollars. Valdés described this arrangement as "an amnesty for operating illegally during this period." It replaces the waiting period in the previous proposal.

The 17 licensed land-based casinos operating in Chile today pay 20 percent of their gross gaming revenue as tax. They also pay an entry fee of 0.07 UTM per visitor and contribute 1 percent to responsible gaming programs. Valdés called the online tax structure "absurd" and said it would create an imbalance between competing operators serving the same customers. She also objected to land-based casinos entering the online market through agreements with licensed digital platforms, saying this route is not the most competitive method for the sector.

The bill, numbered 14.838-03, has been under discussion for more than four years. The latest amendments, submitted in October 2026, propose a five-year license and an annual license fee of 1,000 UTM. The ACCJ wants the final regulation to provide comparable competitive conditions for land-based and online operators, along with appropriate consumer safeguards and anti-money laundering measures.