Chile orders blocking of 42 illegal online gambling websites

The Chilean Undersecretariat of Telecommunications (Subtel) has ordered major telecommunications companies—including Entel, Movistar, Claro, GTD, WOM, and VTR—to block 42 websites associated with unauthorized online gambling. This directive follows a Supreme Court ruling prohibiting the promotion and dissemination of unregulated betting platforms.

Despite the order, several illegal betting sites, such as Betano, Coolbet, Betsson, Estelarbet, and NayaFacil Casino Online, have reportedly evaded the blockade by making minor variations to their web addresses. Subtel has granted operators 48 hours to implement DNS-based blocking and indicated that the procedure will expand to new domains validated by the Superintendency of Gaming Casinos (SCJ).

The measure stems from a legal challenge by the Lotería de Concepción. In response, the Chilean Association of Online Betting Platforms (aPAL) criticized the move, arguing that the scope exceeds the original court order and noting that some platforms have already complied with digital VAT obligations.