Simon’s Guide to Gambling and Casinos in Chile

Land-based casinos in Chile are legal and require a license from the Federal Gambling Commission created in 2004 to operate. Currently the maximum allowed number of casinos in Chile is fixed at 24, with further regulation regarding the location of casinos. The largest casinos in Chile are the previously mentioned Vina del Mar and the Monticello Grand Casino, situated just south of the capital, Santiago. Games available include Slots, table games, bingo and poker.

There are no licensed online casinos in Chile, and it is, in fact, illegal to operate online gambling sites in the country. Locals, however, are free to play on foreign casino gambling sites, several of which are available in Spanish. The government has been considering the proposal to enable licensed online casinos, but no decision has been reached yet.

Live bingo games are legal in Chile, and available at most of the licensed casinos of the country. The Chilean gambling law only allows for gambling in the state-licensed casinos, which means there are no dedicated bingo halls in the country ( none that are operated legally, that is).

Casino permits do not include a permission for operating online gambling sites, which means online bingo games are technically illegal, and there are no online bingo sites based in Chile. There are no restrictions, however, on what foreign bingo sites locals can play on.

Poker is legal in Chile, and is one of the games licensed casinos are allowed to offer. As poker is quite popular in the country, live poker games are available in practically all casinos in Chile. One of the stops of the Latin American Poker Tour organised by PokerStars is held in Vina del Mar, Chile.

Gambling permits in Chile do not apply to organising online poker games. This means that operating online poker sites in Chile is technically illegal. However, the government is notoriously lax in enforcement of this law, and most international online poker sites are available to players from Chile. The Chilean government has been preparing the legislation for issuing online gambling permits, but with no results just yet.

Sports betting is legal in Chile, and is one of the most popular forms of gambling in the country. Locals have several options when it comes to wagering on various sports events. Chile has several race tracks where dog and horse races are held, with betting available.

Football is practically the national sport in Chile, so betting on national and international football events is a popular pastime in the country. The only licensed sportsbook in the country is Xperto, the sports betting offshoot of the lottery Polla Chilena. Apart from football, tennis and Formula 1 events are also available for betting.

Xperto also operates as an online sports betting sites, the only of its kind on the Chilean market. However, locals looking for more, and more competitive betting options have been turning towards international sports betting sites, which are freely available to them.

Lottery games are legal and well-liked in Chile. The Lotería de la Concepción, now known only as “Lottery” was created in 1921 with the aim of collecting funds for the university of Concepción. The most popular type of lottery in Chile is Kino, where players need to pick 14 numbers out of 25.

The Chilean lottery is also available for playing online. It is technically illegal for foreign, unlicensed operators to offer lottery games in Chile, but the laws are rarely enforced. Locals are free to participate in international lottery draws.

Bitcoin usage in Chile is completely unregulated. The virtual currency has been enjoying growing popularity in the country, and Chile’s first Bitcoin exchange opened in 2015. Interestingly, the founding of the Bitcoin exchange was, in fact, funded by the Chilean government.*

As the Chilean government currently does not issue online gambling licences, operating a Bitcoin casino based in the country would likely be illegal. On the other hand, Chilean gamblers are free to play on international Bitcoin gambling sites.