ACCJ Reveals Chile Casino Revenue Down Amid Surge in Illegal Gambling in 2025

(AsiaGameHub) –   In its 2025 report released on Monday, the Asociación Chilena de Casinos y Juegos (ACCJ) intensified its demands for more rigorous regulation and enforcement to combat illegal gambling.

The trade body’s position comes amid growing pressure on Chile’s regulated land-based casino sector. In 2025, the country’s gross gaming revenue from land-based operations dropped by 4.5% year-on-year to CLP509.8 billion ($597.5 million).

Furthermore, total tax receipts from the sector fell by 4.7%, amounting to CLP214 million.

Licensed and unlicensed

Throughout 2025, Chile maintained 25 active casinos, consisting of 22 venues licensed under Law 19.995 and three municipal facilities currently transitioning through the regulatory process.

Despite the consistent number of venues, the industry’s financial data highlighted several worrying trends:

• Footfall at casinos authorized under Law 19.995 declined by 7.2% compared to the previous year, totaling 926,873 visits.
• Real-term tax revenue generated by the sector decreased by 4.7% to CLP214 million.
• Estimates suggest that Chile’s illicit online gambling market has reached a value of approximately $3.1 billion.

These statistics bolstered the ACCJ’s argument that the regulated sector is losing market share to unauthorized providers. The year was also marked by the increasing normalization of illegal online platforms operating outside of Chilean regulatory control.

This situation reached the judiciary, resulting in a Chilean Supreme Court mandate requiring the blocking of illegal betting sites.

The ACCJ highlighted this legal intervention as a vital step in stopping unlicensed offshore operators from draining revenue and endangering consumers.

At the time of the ruling, ACCJ President Cecilia Valdes stated: “We deeply appreciate the Supreme Court’s clear ruling on online gambling platforms, stating that they are illegal in Chile.”

Under existing legislation, gambling is prohibited in Chile unless it is provided by the Concepción Lottery, Polla Chilena, horse racing tracks, or specifically authorized gambling casinos.

Legislative advocacy

Throughout 2025, the ACCJ increased its lobbying efforts and technical support for two major legislative projects.

The first, Boletín 14.838-03, a bill aimed at regulating online betting platforms, passed a general vote in the Senate on 13 August with 27 votes in favor, 3 against, and 5 abstentions, moving forward to the committee stage for further refinement.

The second, Boletín 15.975-25, proposed the creation of a “Subsistema de Inteligencia Económica” designed to detect and alert authorities to activities linked to organized crime.

The association continued to provide comprehensive technical memoranda throughout the year.

The ACCJ maintains that any new regulations must do more than simply legitimize existing operations.

Instead, they argue for balanced requirements for all operators, covering areas such as taxation, transaction transparency, consumer protection, and strict compliance to ensure that newly legalized platforms do not profit from past illegal activities.

The ACCJ’s cooperation with municipal authorities, prosecutors, the Internal Revenue Service (SII), and law enforcement revealed a concerning expansion of clandestine gambling sites. These were identified in regions including Antofagasta, Ovalle, Valdivia, Puerto Montt, Los Ángeles, and Castro, as well as in municipalities surrounding Santiago.

The association linked these illicit operations to broader informal economic activities, tax evasion, and, in some cases, organized crime syndicates.

In response, the ACCJ participated in and organized regional workshops and coordinated enforcement efforts, including the “2nd Day Against Illicit Trade and Organised Crime,” held in partnership with the national Chamber of Commerce (CNC) and OCIS.

Youth exposure to online gambling sparks social concern

A significant study published in 2025, Pantallas que atrapan: Radiografía del juego online en jóvenes chilenos, conducted by the Corporación de Juego Responsable and Corporación Copreventive, provided the first comprehensive national data on online betting among young Chileans. Key findings included:

• 26% of young respondents indicated they had placed online bets in the past 12 months.
• The average age for starting to gamble was 15.5 years.
• 92% reported seeing gambling advertisements on social media or livestreaming platforms.
• Small wagers are common, with 79% of participants betting less than CLP10,000.
• There is a notable overlap between video gaming and gambling, with 62% of young people playing games that feature chance-based elements like loot boxes.

Following these findings, the ACCJ broadened its advocacy to include health professionals and government officials. The association stressed that regulation must be paired with education, digital literacy, and mental health initiatives to reduce the risks of gambling among the youth.