Chile is having its iGaming moment — and it’s happening fast. Player demand is rising, international operators are circling, and regulators are shifting from debate to action. This puts the market at a clear turning point: big commercial upside for those who prepare early, and equally big risks for those who don’t.
With a highly digital population and strong financial infrastructure, Chile looks very attractive on paper. But it’s not a plug-and-play market. Evolving regulation, potential enforcement pressure, and the need for rock-solid payments and compliance mean operators face real challenges alongside the opportunity. The message is simple: Chile isn’t a market to watch anymore — it’s a
market to get ready for.
History of iGaming in Chile.
When you think “iGaming in Chile,” your mind might go straight to slot machines and roulette wheels — but the story actually begins decades earlier, with a handful of municipal casinos. The oldest “modern-style” casino in Chile is Casino de Viña del Mar, opened in 1930. Over the years other municipal casinos popped up in places like Arica, Iquique, Coquimbo, Pucón, Puerto Varas and Puerto Natales [ACCJ].
But the real shake-up came on 7 January 2005 — when Law N° 19.995 was published. That law laid down the “bases generales para la autorización, funcionamiento y fiscalización de casinos de juego,” and created Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ), the regulatory body in charge of overseeing casinos across the country [SCJ].
With it, Chile transformed its gambling industry: no longer just a patchwork of municipal casinos here and there — suddenly there was a national framework. The law allowed for up to 24 licensed casinos operating under national regulation (in addition to the existing municipal ones), distributed regionally (no more than three per region, one minimum per region, and a minimum separation of 70 km between casinos).
The SCJ officially began its oversight work in May 2005, marking the start of a new regulated era. Over the following years, this “new-industry” model led to dozens of casinos being built across Chile — creating jobs, boosting tourism and regional development, and transforming gambling into a regulated business sector.
Current Regulatory Landscape.
Chile’s gambling regulation is clear and established for land-based casinos, but still very much a work in progress for online gambling.Online gambling lives in a legal grey zone, where there is currently no operational licensing regime for online casinos or sportsbooks, and Chilean authorities have increasingly taken a hard stance on this. The Supreme Court has ruled that online betting is illegal unless explicitly authorized by law, and courts have ordered internet providers to block access to unlicensed platforms. Official bodies have also clarified that the SCJ has no authority over online gambling under current law [Mercopress].
But the picture is starting to change. In 2025, Chile’s Senate made real progress toward regulating online gambling, with bipartisan support for a draft bill that would create a formal licensing framework, introduce taxation (including VAT), and impose consumer protection and responsible gaming standards. While the law is not yet fully in force, it signals a clear political shift toward bringing iGaming out of the shadows and into a regulated market [Tribuna].
For iGaming operators, this means Chile is a “prepare now, launch later” market. Today carries legal and operational risks, including site blocking and enforcement pressure. But tomorrow could offer a fully licensed, regulated market with strong consumer trust and first-mover advantage for those who are ready when the switch is flipped.
Market Size & Players.
Chile’s “official” gambling market is still very real — and very valuable. As of 2025, there are around 25 licensed land-based casinos across the country, which generated roughly US$ 154 million in gross gaming revenue in the first quarter of 2025 alone. For the first half of 2025, total casino GGR reached about US$ 292 million [CasinoBeats].
At the same time, the land-based segment shows signs of pressure. In 2024, Chilean casinos generated around US$ 588 million in total gross revenue, alongside fewer visits and lower average spend per customer. This doesn’t mean the market is disappearing — but it does suggest that traditional, offline growth is becoming more challenging [Zona de Azar].
Where things get really interesting is online. When you include offshore and unregulated activity, Chile’s broader gambling market is forecast to reach around US$ 2.49 billion in 2025, with strong momentum on the digital side. Post-regulation, industry estimates suggest online gambling could grow at a 9–10% CAGR, potentially reaching around US$ 670 million by 2027 [Statista].
In short: Chile already runs a meaningful gambling economy in USD terms, but the real upside sits in what hasn’t been fully regulated yet — the online market. Operators that understand both the land-based giants and the growing digital appetite will be the ones best placed to win once licensing goes live.
Responsible Gambling, Consumer Protection & Age Checks.
If regulation is the engine of a market, responsible gambling is the seatbelt — and in Chile, that seatbelt already exists for land-based casinos. Under Ley Nº 19.995, licensed casinos are required to apply consumer-protection measures, display responsible-gambling messaging, and provide clear information about risks and support channels for problem gambling. Operators are also subject to strict internal control systems and inspections by the regulator [SCJ].
There are also formal controls around age verification and access restrictions in physical venues. Entry to casinos in Chile is limited to adults (18+), and operators must apply identity checks and access controls to prevent underage gambling. These obligations are audited by the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ) as part of their ongoing supervisory work [SCJ].
Online, the story is very different — because there is currently no fully regulated iGaming framework in force. This means most offshore platforms are not legally required (today) to follow standardized Chilean rules around age checks, self-exclusion, or responsible-gaming tools. This gap is one of the main arguments driving the push for new regulation, as authorities want stronger consumer protection and clearer safeguards for minors and vulnerable players [BCN].
The upcoming regulatory proposal for online gambling aims to fix exactly that. Draft bills discussed in the Chilean Congress include mandatory KYC (Know Your Customer), age-verification systems, player self-exclusion tools, betting limits, and clearer rules for advertising and bonuses. The goal is simple: if Chile opens the door to licensed online betting, it wants that door to be safe, supervised and significantly more responsible than today’s grey-market reality [LCB].
In short: in the land-based world, responsible gambling and age control already exist and are enforced. In the online world, those protections are still inconsistent — which is precisely why formal regulation is viewed not as “red tape,” but as a critical consumer-protection upgrade for the market.
Predictions for the Future.
If we had to place a bet on Chile’s iGaming future (purely professionally, of course), the smart money is on regulation becoming reality. The political and regulatory momentum is clearly moving toward a formal online-gambling framework, with licensing, taxation, and consumer-protection rules. Most industry observers expect Chile to follow a path similar to other recently regulated Latin American markets: a centralized licensing model, stricter KYC and responsible-gaming requirements, and clearer rules for both local and international operators [LCB].
Market-wise, the most likely scenario is strong digital growth once regulation lands. Research groups already project Chile’s total gambling market to be worth roughly US$2.49 billion in 2025, with online gambling expected to grow at close to 9–10% CAGR over the second half of the decade. In practical terms, that means more competition, more sophisticated products, and a shift from offshore, grey-market platforms to locally licensed and compliant operators [Statista].
There are also some realistic challenges ahead. The transition period could be messy: existing offshore operators may struggle to adapt, some brands may exit the market, and enforcement against unlicensed platforms is likely to increase. At the same time, higher compliance costs, local taxes, and technical requirements may squeeze margins compared to today’s loosely regulated environment [Mercopress].
Bottom line: Chile is likely to move from a grey market to a regulated market in the medium term — and that usually means less chaos, more trust, and bigger long-term opportunities. Operators that invest early in compliance, payments infrastructure, and scalable tech will be best placed to win when the rules finally become crystal clear.
Practical Checklist for iGaming Operators.
Before you hit the “launch” button, here’s a practical, no-fluff checklist to help iGaming operators stay compliant, competitive, and ready for Chile the moment licensing goes live:
- Regulatory readiness — watch the bill, plan for a licence: track the online-gambling bill’s progress and design your entry plan around a licensed model (technical, corporate and local-presence options). If passed, the law will set licensing, taxation and oversight rules you’ll have to meet [Gambling Insider].
- Legal & tax setup: map out the corporate structure that fits Chilean rules and taxes (expect VAT + targeted gaming taxes in draft proposals). Budget for licence fees, local taxes and ongoing reporting [Invixos].
- KYC/AML/Age verification — make it robust now: implement enterprise-grade KYC, identity checks and transaction monitoring: biometric/ID verification, proof-of-address, PEP/sanctions screening and ongoing AML monitoring. The draft law and regulatory intent emphasize strict KYC and self-exclusion tools. Start with vendor evaluations early [Invixos].
- Payments stack — local-first approach: integrate local payment rails (debit via Redcompra, WebPay, local bank transfers, and popular wallets) and global rails (cards, e-wallets) to maximize conversion and minimize friction. Plan for reconciliation, chargeback rules and alternative flows for larger withdrawals [Rapyd].
- Responsible gaming features: build mandatory RG tools into the product: deposit/bet limits, session limits, cooling-off, mandatory display of help resources and a robust self-exclusion mechanism. The legislative drafts specifically require RG safeguards [Invixos].
InPlaySoft: the Best Choice for a Regulated Chile.
When Chile’s iGaming market goes fully regulated, the winners won’t just be the first to launch — they’ll be the ones built to scale fast, stay stable, and grow without friction. That’s exactly where InPlaySoft comes in. We create, deliver and maintain scalable, stable and fast-to-market iGaming platform solutions across casino, sportsbook and esports for operators who demand not just success, but persistent growth.
Our technology is cloud-first by design, which means your platform doesn’t just grow — it scales automatically, as much as you and your business need. Whether your traffic doubles, triples, or spikes overnight, the infrastructure flexes in real time. No bottlenecks. No panic upgrades. Just smooth, controlled expansion.
And when it comes to stability, we don’t talk about it — we prove it. Since we started operating in 2021, we haven’t had a single second of platform downtime. Not one. In a market like Chile, where regulation will increase technical and compliance pressure, that level of reliability isn’t a luxury — it’s a competitive weapon.
Bottom line? When Chile goes regulated, you can build on uncertainty — or you can build on a platform that’s already built for scale, speed and uninterrupted performance. With InPlaySoft, you’re not just ready to be in Chile. You’re ready to win it.
