MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chile Begins Blocking Online Betting Sites as Latin America Tightens Gambling Oversight

Chile has ordered major internet service providers to block 42 online betting and gambling websites, marking a significant enforcement step following last year's Supreme Court ruling on unauthorized online gambling.

Chile has ordered major internet service providers to block 42 online betting and gambling websites, marking a significant enforcement step following last year's Supreme Court ruling on unauthorized online gambling.

The Subsecretariat of Telecommunications, or Subtel, said on September 1 that Entel, Movistar, Claro, GTD, WOM and VTR had been instructed to block the listed URLs using DNS-based restrictions within 48 hours of notification.

The list was supplied by Chile's Superintendence of Gaming Casinos and includes a mixture of international sports betting and online casino brands.

Subtel said the measure was intended to comply with rulings from the Supreme Court and the Santiago Court of Appeals concerning the transmission and promotion of gambling services that are not expressly authorized under Chilean law.

The move represents a shift from legal interpretation to practical enforcement in a market where internationally licensed gambling websites have remained accessible to Chilean users despite lacking domestic authorization.

Supreme Court ruling now being enforced

Chile's Supreme Court ruled in September 2025 that online gambling is illegal unless it has been specifically authorized by law.

The case was brought by the Concepción Lottery and resulted in the court ordering several telecommunications companies to block access to unauthorized online betting platforms.

At the time, the court said that only a limited number of entities, including Lotería de Concepción, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia and certain authorized horse-racing operations, had permission to provide particular forms of gambling online.

MercoPress reported on the ruling at the time, noting that the decision was reached by a three-to-two vote and established a clear judicial position that online gambling services could not operate legally in Chile simply because they were licensed abroad.

The latest Subtel order gives that ruling a more tangible effect.

Rather than relying solely on restrictions against operators, Chile is now requiring domestic telecommunications companies to limit access to the websites themselves.

Chile takes a different route from some of its neighbors

Chile's approach highlights how differently Latin American countries have responded to the rapid growth of online gambling.

There is no single regional model.

An examination of online gambling laws across Latin America shows a regulatory landscape that ranges from national licensing systems to outright restrictions, as well as countries where authority is divided between provincial or local governments.

Peru, which shares Chile's northern border, has taken a notably different approach.

Under legislation introduced through Law No. 31557 and subsequent amendments, Peru established a national regulatory framework for remote gaming and online sports betting. The Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism, known as MINCETUR, is responsible for authorizing operators and supervising platforms.

By 2026, the Peruvian system had moved beyond the initial licensing stage and into ongoing supervision, including technical audits, compliance requirements and data reporting obligations for authorized platforms.

Bolivia, by contrast, remains considerably more restrictive.

The Bolivian Gaming Control Authority has repeatedly taken action against unauthorized gambling operations and has said that online betting platforms operating without national approval are illegal. Enforcement actions have included investigations into online sports betting operations and interventions against unlicensed gambling businesses.

Argentina presents yet another model.

Rather than maintaining one comprehensive national licensing regime for online gambling, regulatory authority is largely exercised by provinces and the City of Buenos Aires. As a result, what is permitted, licensed or restricted can vary considerably between jurisdictions.

This fragmented structure has allowed regulated online betting markets to develop in some parts of Argentina while maintaining a substantially different legal architecture from the national systems used in Peru or Colombia.

Regulation is expanding, but not in one direction

Elsewhere in the region, Colombia remains one of Latin America's most developed regulated online gambling markets.

Coljuegos, the national gambling regulator, licenses online operators and supervises both sports betting and casino products. In May 2026, the regulator authorized another online operator, bringing the number of nationally approved platforms to 15.

Coljuegos has simultaneously stepped up enforcement against illegal operators. In August, the regulator said its anti-illegal gambling strategy had resulted in more than 58,000 website blocking orders linked to unauthorized betting activity.

Brazil offers another example of a government moving toward greater control after legalization.

The country launched its federally regulated fixed-odds betting market in 2025, but political pressure has since grown for tighter restrictions on advertising and sponsorship.

On September 2, 2026, a Brazilian Senate committee approved legislation proposing extensive restrictions on gambling advertising across television, radio, newspapers, websites, social media and sporting events. The bill must still pass further stages before becoming law.

Taken together, these developments suggest that Latin America is not converging on a common legal model for online gambling.

What is becoming more consistent is the willingness of governments to intervene.

Some, such as Peru and Colombia, have created regulated markets and are attempting to move gambling activity toward licensed operators.

Others, including Chile, are relying on legal restrictions and technological enforcement to prevent unauthorized platforms from reaching consumers.

Brazil, meanwhile, is demonstrating that legalization does not necessarily end the regulatory debate, with attention now shifting from market access toward advertising, sponsorship and consumer protection.

Blocking may become a larger part of enforcement

Chile's latest action also reflects a wider trend toward using internet infrastructure as part of gambling enforcement.

Website blocking allows regulators to target access to offshore platforms even where the companies themselves have no substantial physical presence in the country.

The effectiveness of such measures remains debated, particularly because operators can change domains and users may attempt to circumvent DNS restrictions.

However, the approach gives regulators an enforcement mechanism that does not depend entirely on bringing legal proceedings against companies based overseas.

Chile has now moved decisively in that direction.

The 42-site order does not create a new prohibition on online gambling. Instead, it strengthens enforcement of the legal position already established by Chilean courts.

The wider regional picture remains more complex.

From licensed national markets in Colombia and Peru to Chile's blocking regime and Argentina's province-by-province system, governments across Latin America are responding to the same underlying expansion of digital gambling with markedly different regulatory tools.