Chile: Supreme Court ruling demands blockage of illegal gambling sites

Chile’s Supreme Court has delivered a decisive blow to both online betting operators and the country’s main internet service providers (ISPs), ordering them to block illegal gambling websites.

This ruling comes in the wake of a protection appeal, filed by Concepción Lottery, which mirrored a similar case in 2023 that led to the Chilean Charity Lottery obtaining a favorable decision from the Court. Both cases saw major telecom companies targeted for refusing to cut access to unauthorized platforms.

According to Manuel Zárate, Head of the Legal Division of the Superintendence of Casinos, the ruling confirms “illegal and arbitrary conduct” by ISPs that declined to block websites offering online casino and sports betting services. 

Zárate noted that previous rulings from lower courts in Concepción and Santiago had dismissed similar requests. However, these dissmissals have now been revoked. 

“The service providers could and should block these platforms,” Zárate said, emphasising that the ruling requires immediate compliance.

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The official rejected claims that no criminal conduct was involved, clarifying that prosecutors had merely decided not to pursue certain investigations due to jurisdictional challenges. 

The Court, however, underlined that the platforms in question were operational in Chile, reinforcing the requirement to restrict access.

Zárate concluded that providers should now act without delay to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision blocking the identified sites in line with the order.

Carlos Mendez

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Odds tell a story long before the result does. When bettors learn to read that story properly, betting becomes a matter of discipline and value rather than emotion or guesswork.

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