Chile Gives ISPs 48 Hours to Block 42 Gambling URLs

Chile’s telecom regulator has ordered six internet providers to block access to 42 gambling URLs within 48 hours. The instruction moves the country’s DNS-blocking procedure from a court-approved framework to a specific enforcement order.

Chile’s Subsecretaría de Telecomunicaciones (Subtel) sent the order to Entel, Movistar, Claro, GTD, WOM, and VTR. The 42 URLs were previously reviewed by the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ). The regulator determined that they correspond to online betting or gambling platforms operating without authorization under Chilean rules.

Six ISPs Receive the Same Deadline

The list includes URLs linked to several large international betting brands. Among them are Betano, Betsson, Stake, bet365, Novibet, BC.Game, TonyBet, and Betcris. It also contains alternative addresses and Chile-facing domains connected to some operators.

Each ISP has 48 hours from receipt of the notice to apply the DNS restrictions. Providers must then report compliance to the Santiago Court of Appeals. A copy must also go to Subtel with the date and exact time when each block was implemented.

SCJ Decides Which URLs Reach Telecom Providers

The order follows litigation brought by Lotería de Concepción against telecom companies. Chile’s Supreme Court previously required ISPs to restrict access to unauthorized gambling platforms. The Santiago Court of Appeals later approved DNS blocking as the technical method for carrying out that ruling.

Under the resulting process, reported domains, subdomains, and mirror sites first go through the SCJ. Subtel sends blocking instructions only after the gambling regulator has validated an address.

This leaves the legal assessment with the SCJ, while ISPs are responsible only for implementing the technical restriction. The review is also intended to reduce accidental blocking of unrelated legal services.

New Mirror Sites Can Join the List

The current 42 URLs are unlikely to be the end of the process. Subtel said new domains, subdomains, and mirror sites can be added after verification by the SCJ. The procedure also allows incorrectly identified addresses to be corrected.

Chile is separately considering legislation that would establish a regulated online betting market. Until that debate is resolved, court-backed blocking remains one of the main tools being used against unauthorized access.

The main test will be speed. DNS blocking can remove known addresses quickly, but its value will depend on how fast authorities identify and approve replacement domains as operators move traffic elsewhere.