The Chilean gambling industry is at a delicate crossroads. The Chilean Casinos and Gaming Association (ACCJ) released its 2025 annual report on Monday, highlighting both the plight of the legal market and the expansion of the illegal market. On one hand, licensed casino revenues continue to shrink, while on the other, unauthorized online platforms are growing wildly, a situation that has become too significant to ignore. The report contains a lot of data worth looking into, and PASA's official website will continue to follow the regulatory dynamics in the Latin American market.
Legal casinos suffer from declining tax revenue and customer flow
From the financial figures, the performance of Chile's licensed physical casinos in 2025 is not very promising. The total gambling revenue fell to CLP 509.8 billion (about $597.5 million), a year-on-year decline of 4.5%; the total tax revenue also shrank by 4.7%, only remaining at CLP 2.14 billion. Currently, there are 25 operating casinos in Chile, 22 of which are licensed under Law No. 19.995, and three municipal venues are in a regulatory transition period. Although the number of venues has not decreased, the customer flow has disappointingly dropped—the number of visits to licensed casinos fell by 7.2% year-on-year, totaling only about 927,000 visits. Simply put, players are voting with their feet.
And where these lost players have gone is not hard to find. According to ACCJ estimates, the size of Chile's illegal online gambling market has ballooned to about $3.1 billion. This figure, once presented, makes the slight decline in the legal market seem less surprising. The association's core argument is clear: the regulated market is being eroded step by step by unlicensed operators, and unauthorized online platforms have become too "normalized" in Chilean society.
Judicial action and legislative progress apply dual pressure
The turning point came at the judicial level. The Supreme Court of Chile had previously made a ruling, explicitly requiring the blocking of illegal gambling websites. Cecilia Valdes, the president of ACCJ, stated at the time of the ruling: "We deeply appreciate the Supreme Court's clear decision on online gambling platforms, recognizing them as illegal in Chile." According to current laws, gambling in Chile is limited to the Concepción lottery, Polla Chilena, racetracks, or explicitly authorized casinos; all others are illegal.
Having a ruling is not enough; the legislative struggle is also in full swing. In 2025, ACCJ pushed forward two bills: one is Bill No. 14.838-03 on the regulation of online gambling platforms, which has passed the general vote in the Senate with 27 votes in favor, 3 against, and 5 abstentions, and has entered the committee revision stage; the other is Proposal No. 15.975-25, aimed at establishing an "Economic Intelligence Subsystem" to focus on preventing organized crime infiltration. The association repeatedly emphasizes that the future regulatory framework should not merely legalize the status quo but must impose equal constraints on all operators in terms of taxes, transaction traceability, consumer protection, and compliance enforcement. Otherwise, newly legalized platforms could indirectly profit from their previous illegal operations.
26% of youths have gambled in the past year, starting at age 15
More concerning than the market data is the involvement of young people. A 2025 study titled "Attractive Screens: The Full Picture of Online Gambling Among Chilean Youths" revealed for the first time the severe reality of youth participation in online gambling nationwide: 26% of youths had placed bets in the past 12 months, with an average starting age of just 15.5 years, and 92% had been exposed to gambling ads through social media or streaming platforms. Small bets are mainstream, with 79% of individual bets being less than 10,000 Chilean pesos. More alarmingly, 62% of young people play video games that incorporate random mechanisms like loot boxes, blurring the lines between gaming and gambling.
After these figures were released, ACCJ extended its reach beyond the industry, starting to collaborate with health professionals and government departments to find solutions. The association's stance is that relying solely on regulation to plug leaks is not enough; education, digital literacy, and mental health prevention must also be part of the combination to truly stop youths from sliding into gambling. Honestly, seeing 15-year-olds already exposed to these things feels somewhat like adding fuel to the fire.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel:https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel:https://t.me/gamblingdeep
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PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
