Chile MPs Turn to TV Regulator Over Betting Ads
Eduardo Cretton and Marco Antonio Sulantay sent their request to the National Television Council, known as CNTV. They want a wider restriction than Chile has seen so far.
Betting commercials have previously drawn regulatory action when they appeared during protected viewing hours. Cretton and Sulantay are now asking for the issue to be treated across the full television schedule.
Sulantay’s argument is fairly simple. Courts are moving against betting websites, yet the same type of businesses can still appear in television advertising seen by Chilean audiences. He described that situation as inconsistent.
Earlier Case Focused on Protected Hours
CNTV has dealt with betting advertising before. Chilevisión was fined after nine online betting commercials were broadcast during a time slot covered by rules intended to protect minors. The broadcaster challenged the sanction, but the Santiago Court of Appeals upheld the regulator’s decision.
That case did not remove betting advertising from television. It concerned the hours in which the commercials were shown.
The latest request asks CNTV to go considerably further. If the regulator agrees, the distinction between protected hours and the rest of the schedule could disappear for online betting ads. The lawmakers have also raised concerns about exposure to gambling among minors and people considered vulnerable to gambling-related harm.
Domain Blocking Is Already Moving Ahead
The advertising dispute has surfaced almost immediately after another legal development. Chile has begun putting into effect a system for blocking domains linked to betting platforms regarded as unauthorized. The procedure follows court action and involves the country’s gambling authority before blocking instructions reach telecom companies.
That subject has already become a separate enforcement story in Chile. Cretton and Sulantay are using it to make a narrower point about television: restricting access to betting websites while leaving their advertising untouched does not make much sense in their view.
They are asking CNTV to act without waiting for the country’s broader gambling reform to be completed.
Congress Is Still Working on Online Betting Rules
Chile still does not have the licensing framework proposed for private online betting operators. Legislation under discussion in Congress would set rules for licenses, taxation, supervision and advertising. The process has continued alongside court cases involving operators that currently serve Chilean customers.
So there are two tracks running at once. One is the longer political argument over what a regulated betting market should eventually look like. The other is happening now, through court orders, domain restrictions and decisions taken under existing broadcasting rules.
The CNTV request belongs to the second track. No new law is needed for lawmakers to ask the regulator to review what can appear on television.
What Happens Next
The rest will depend on the decision of CNTV. This body already has a precedent where it punished a broadcaster for gambling ads shown during protected hours. So the request has some ground behind it. Doing the same thing for the whole day would be a much larger move. Until then, operators can still use television advertising even as the legal situation for them in Chile becomes harder.