Chile’s casino market didn’t wait for regulation to mature. It scaled first. Strong land-based frameworks, widespread internet access, rising digital payments, and the legal recognition of crypto have all pushed the industry forward. Today, operators face a large, active, and highly controversial market developing ahead of formal rules, with the Online Gambling Bill still under review in the Senate.
In this article, I break down what’s really happening in Chile’s online casino segment and what signals deserve your attention in 2026, from regulatory shifts and payment habits to player behavior and popular brands.
Casino Is the Largest Gambling Segment
Chile is one of Latin America’s most established gambling markets. Betting laws in the country date back to 1852, and today, land-based casinos operate under a clear, mature framework defined by Law No. 19,995. The Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ) is the official regulator responsible for licensing, compliance, and supervision.
What stands out is scale. In 2025, Chile’s total gambling revenue was estimated at USD 2.49 billion. Casinos and casino-style games lead the market by turnover and GGR, generating USD 1.61 billion today and are projected to reach USD 1.73 billion by 2030.
The online casino business, however, sits in a legal gray zone. According to Yield Sec, roughly 3,800 offshore operators target Chile, and eight out of ten players engage with these platforms.Â
The demand is clear, with 73% of active players asking for regulation. Bill No. 14,838/2022 was designed to answer that demand by legalizing online casinos and sports betting. While still debating, the Senate expects annual revenue of USD 60 million in the case of legalization, suggesting that the Bill may be approved in the near future.
Few Brands Control Most of the TrafficÂ
What strikes me most is that despite legal uncertainties, Chile’s online gambling traffic is already highly concentrated. The top 25 operators control nearly 87% of total audience share, led by long-standing brands such as Betano, Coolbet, and JugaBet.
In practice, Chile behaves like a post-regulation iGaming market. Any new entrant faces a high bar, where deep localization, trusted payments, and understanding of casino preferences decide who wins the hearts and minds of Chilean players.
Digital Infrastructure Fuels Industry Growth
The Chilean online ecosystem runs on speed. It has the highest median download rates in Latin America and ranks among the fastest markets globally. Internet penetration stands at 94%, encompassing over 18.6 million users. Social media usage reaches 74.7%, with a balanced gender split that keeps engagement broad and steady.
Mobile performance is just as strong, with 67% of web traffic coming from smartphones. Median mobile speed reaches 48.6 Mbps, while 5G adoption is already at 37% and is expected to increase to 68% by 2030.Â
For online casino business operators, this combination of factors drives longer sessions, richer content experience, and faster conversions.Â
One in Three Chileans Engaged with Online Gambling
About 85% of Chileans live in cities, where a large, economically active workforce creates a player base that’s both highly digital and has strong spending power.
Sources: Orti, Banco Central de Chile
Moreover, the Yield Sec report indicates that 5.4 million Chileans (about 29% of the population) engaged with online gambling content in 2024. This includes visiting casino sites and apps, clicking promos, following affiliate reviews, and using betting apps.
With this growing interest in iGaming products, I suppose rolling the market back would be unrealistic. The more likely and profitable outcome lies in regulation and bringing existing demand into a formal framework.
Men Lead Weekly Play
In Chile, casino players are active, with a clear gender gap. As Playtech reports, men play more often than women: 61% gamble weekly compared to 45% of female players. Younger users engage at a slower pace. Among players aged 18–24, one in three only plays on special occasions.
Overall betting frequency in Chile is lower than in many neighboring LATAM markets, but it remains steady. About 82% of Chilean players gamble at least once a month, and 53% do so weekly, bringing the estimated ARPU of around USD 120.Â
Budget Management Shapes Spending Behavior
Budget discipline plays a visible role in how Chileans gamble. Most players control their deposits, with 77% spending up to CLP 30,000 per month and 49% spending CLP 10,000 or less. A smaller, high-value segment (8%) spends more than CLP 50,000 monthly.Â
Nearly half of active players set spending limits, although 24% admit to crossing the line at times. But that control varies by age. Players aged 35–44 are the most likely to overspend, while those over 55 show far tighter discipline.
When players win, their behavior splits more or less evenly between saving the cash (37%) and reinvesting it in the game (32%).Â
Trust Starts with Security and Payments
Payments and security are the key levers in Chile. When players choose an online gambling platform, 62% cite trust as the key factor, followed closely by data protection (57%). Safety and reliability matter to 54% of users, while fast, secure payment methods rank just as high as prize value at 53%.
Local presence makes a real difference. National platforms demonstrate significantly higher trust levels than foreign-owned sites (39% against 6%). Younger players set the same priorities but also focus on social proof and customer service. Nearly half rely on reviews and recommendations, 43% expect quick support, and only 25% care about visuals.Â
Frequent Losses Stop the Play
Absence of wins ends the gaming experience. For 31% of former Chilean players, financial loss was the main reason for quitting, a trigger cited more often by men (36%). Women, on the other hand, indicated high financial risk as the key factor. Boredom ranks just as high (31%). Among non-players, fear of losing money or becoming addicted remains the most substantial barrier to online gambling, especially for women.
FIVE MORE LATAM IGAMING MARKETS ARE TAKING OFF.
EXPLORE THEM
Slots Top Player Preferences
Chile follows the lead of neighboring markets in terms of player preferences—slots and roulette here are just as popular as in Argentina or Brazil. According to Blask analytics, the most trending titles in Chile are Gates of Olympus 1000, Gates of Olympus Super Scatter, Sugar Rush, Sweet Bonanza 1000, Zeus vs Hades Gods of War, and Aviator by Spribe.
| Chile | Argentina | Brazil |
| Slots | 65% | 61% | 43% |
| Roulette | 60% | 51% | 55% |
| Bingo | 42% | 36% | 43% |
| Blackjack | 29% | 27% | 22% |
| Dice | 23% | 20% | 5% |
| Poker | 17% | 14% | 27% |
| Video Poker | 15% | 9% | 19% |
| Specialty Games (e.g., Pachinko, Sic Bo) | 12% | 10% | 15% |
| Live Dealer Games | 12% | 12% | 14% |
| Crash Games | 11% | 6% | 26% |
| Baccarat | 9% | 5% | 8% |
| Other | 5% | 1% | 4% |
| None of the Above | 2% | 3% | 5% |
Source: Playtech
Track Record Impacts LicensingÂ
For years, many operators tried to start an online casino business in Chile through offshore licences issued in Curaçao or the Isle of Man. That route was fully closed in September 2025. The Supreme Court confirmed that online gambling is illegal by default under the Constitution unless expressly authorised by law, even when offered from abroad. The result was swift and visible: large-scale website blocking and a hard stop to “gray-market” operations.
Bill No. 14,838 was drafted back in 2022 to replace this enforcement-first reality with a formal licensing framework. Although it is currently stalled in the Senate, its structure is clear and sends a strong signal to the market.Â
According to the latest adjustments, the bill proposes a semi-open licensing model for online betting and casino platforms. Unlike land-based casinos, which are limited by number and location, online licences are intended to have no restrictions. Any operator that meets the legal and technical requirements will be eligible to apply. Under this proposal, the market is expected to be regulated but competitive, without concessions or quotas.
An expanded regulator, renamed the Superintendence of Casinos, Betting, and Games of Chance (SCJ+), would oversee the industry, keep a public registry of licensed operators, and have broad enforcement powers. These include real-time access to platforms, payment blocking, domain and IP blocking, app-store takedowns, and mandatory data sharing with tax, AML, telecom, and financial agencies.
Entry conditions are demanding. Operators would likely need to incorporate locally as a closed joint-stock company, operate exclusively for gambling purposes, disclose beneficial owners, maintain liquidity reserves, pass a final technical certification, and declare all operating bank accounts. Licences would be non-transferable, subject to permanent supervision, and revocable for serious breaches.
Operating history matters most. Transitional licences are proposed only for operators who have not targeted Chile illegally in the previous 12 months and can demonstrate equivalent foreign standards. Operators that previously did so would face a mandatory cooling-off period and a one-off substitute tax equal to 31% of GGR generated over the prior 36 months.
Not everything is covered in the bill. Online lottery games, bingo, and horse-race betting remain excluded and reserved for state-backed monopolies (LoterĂa ConcepciĂłn, Polla Chilena, Teletrak).
No UTM Fee per Registered User AccountÂ
The proposed fee model for online gambling in Chile is taking shape and becoming more operator-friendly. Early drafts of Bill No. 14,838 included a dual fee: an annual license levy of 1,000 UTM and an additional 0.07 UTM per registered user account (UTM stands for Unidad Tributaria Mensual, or Monthly Tax Unit, and can be calculated here). That second charge is now off the table, as the Senate explicitly rejected the per-account fee in August 2025.
What remains is a tax structure aligned with land-based casino regulations. An online gambling operator in Chile is expected to pay a 20% tax on gross gaming revenue, alongside VAT/IVA (19%) and corporate income tax (27%). There’s also a 1% responsible gambling surcharge, but it can be reduced through verified spend on player protection and safer-gambling programs.
Chilean Spanish is a MustÂ
Chileans trust familiar brands more than offshore names, and language plays a big role in that trust. Operators who want to attract and retain a Chilean audience will need real linguistic localization, not neutral Spanish. Customer support scripts, in-game messaging, promos, and CRM flows should sound Chilean.
Here are some tips on Chilean Spanish localization:
- Use a faster communication tempo;
- Drop sounds for smoother pronunciation;
- Lean on everyday terms like “plata” for “money” or “lucas” for “thousands of pesos”;
- Give preference to simple wording (e.g., use “jugar” rather than “apostar” when referring to betting or playing);
- Stick to English terms like “online” instead of “en lĂnea”.Â
Cash Matters, But It Is No Longer the KingÂ
Cash still matters in Chile, but it no longer rules the game. In just five years, cash usage dropped from 51% of transaction value to 18%. Digital habits are taking over, driven by stronger connectivity and the adoption of A2A payments.Â
Considering this, prioritizing cards and digital wallets for casino payments while still supporting cash-based services like Servipag and Sencillito could be a wise strategy for operators who plan to open an online casino in Chile.Â
Debit Cards Prevail over Digital Wallets
Debit cards continue to dominate payments in Chile and LATAM. While digital wallets are growing, debit cards reach an 80.84% usage rate and remain the top choice for both e-commerce and in-store payments. That preference directly impacts how Chileans deposit in casinos.
WebPay leads the ecosystem. It processes over half of all online payments and supports Visa, MasterCard, and RedCompra debit and credit cards as the default checkout route.Â
Beyond cards, a well-established set of local payment options is gaining traction. Khipu enables instant bank transfers, while fintech wallets like MACHBANK and Tenpo handle fast deposits and withdrawals.
Crypto Awareness Is Still Low
Chile’s Fintech Law (Law No. 21,521/2023) changed the country’s payment landscape. Formally recognising cryptocurrencies as digital financial assets, it gave crypto a legal footing in online transactions and accelerated adoption across the economy. By 2024, crypto had become Chile’s third-most popular investment, with the local market estimated at USD 558.6 million in 2025 and more than 6.3 million users in 2026.
Younger bettors are driving this shift. Where crypto is accepted, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT are the go-to options. Usage patterns are clear. Mobile wallets and payment apps are the most popular storing methods, chosen by over 63% of crypto users, while exchanges still attract a meaningful minority that values instant trading and liquidity.
Yet the overall adoption runs ahead of understanding. Only around 22% of Chileans say they fully understand how cryptocurrencies work. About 51% remain unaware, and another large group is curious but uneducated. Nearly 43% do not own crypto today but want to learn more.Â
This is a double message for operators. On the one hand, crypto payments can unlock younger, mobile-first audiences. On the other hand, success depends on user education, clear UX, and tight compliance.Â
Final Thoughts
As the latest legislative attempts demonstrate, when it comes to the online casino, Chile prioritizes revenue and control over expansion. That’s why any future framework will likely formalize an already active market, so it can be monitored, restricted where necessary, and taxed.
Yet even in today’s gray zone, an online casino is stable and generates billions. Player traffic is already concentrated around a small group of established international brands, but there is still room for operators willing to win through multi-layer localization.
So the key question is no longer whether online gambling exists in Chile. It’s whether the country can regulate and standardize a mature market without damaging consumer trust or pushing activity further into unlicensed channels.
