Chile's Senate extended the amendment deadline for its online betting bill to midday on 26 October, as competing proposals shift the legislation away from a regulated private market toward prohibition.
The government missed the initial 16 October deadline and requested ten additional days for technical discussions. Senate committees granted the extension. Two separate amendment proposals now challenge the bill's original framework of competitive licensing.
Economics committee chair Gastón Saavedra and senator Diego Ibáñez propose banning private online platforms while preserving legal status for Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción, authorized racetracks and land-based casinos. Illegal operation would carry criminal penalties and fines. Payment providers and processors must block access and transactions. Platforms registered with the tax authority could have a transition period of up to 24 months.
Senate president Paulina Núñez introduced a separate proposal restricting online gambling to entities explicitly authorized by law. Her bill imposes permanent judicial blocks and corporate criminal liability, with fines reaching 10,000 monthly tax units and prison sentences of up to 15 years in aggravated cases. It covers financing restrictions, payment controls and advertising limits, plus identity verification and self-exclusion tools. 'Online bookmakers are not a harmless business,' Núñez said, citing dependency and family debt as concerns.
Bill 14,838-03 originally outlined a regulated private market with licensing, taxation and owner disclosure requirements. The Senate approved it in principle in August with 27 votes in favor, three against and five abstentions. Interior minister Claudio Alvarado said the government was seeking consensus through consultations. The executive has yet to submit its own amendments.
