Chile’s Government Puts the Online Betting Tax Load at 22%

19% VAT Plus a 3% Specific Tax, and Senators Call It Low

The amendments, which were signed by President José Antonio Kast, were accepted on October 26, the deadline for amendments, and were discussed the following day. The tax rate includes a 3% specific tax and a 19% value-added tax. Senators had one day with 114 pages, a 15M count on the committee calendar.

Senator Matías Walker and Senator Ricardo Celis are arguing for the tax rate to be revisited. For context, Senators say, the combo tax on alcohol and cigarettes in Chile tops 30%.

The government says the annual licensing fee for online betting sites will be 1,000 UTM. The UTM is Chile’s monthly indexed tax unit, meaning the licensing fee will increase automatically with inflation.

On top of the 22% the bill puts in the state’s coffers, another 2% will be earmarked for sports organisations. That covers the Olympic and Paralympic committees and other sporting federations. Operators will be budgeting 24% of gross revenue, a 15M reading of the bill alongside the amendments.

The bill also includes stronger rules on confirming user identities and tighter limits on adverts. There are more robust rules on betting caps and self-exclusion. Finally, the bill itself will be renamed to reflect the intent to protect children and prevent gambling-related harm.

"Money is the only thing that can be staked, and the bill says so expressly," finance undersecretary Sebastián Vallebona told the Senate Economy Committee.

Taking Chilean Traffic Today Costs 31% to Undo

The new law provides for a supervisory authority, the Superintendencia de Casinos, Apuestas y Juegos de Azar. It sets out a framework for a semi-open market. Only closed-stock societies incorporated in Chile would be allowed to obtain licences. They would be subject to requirements regarding capitalisation, disclosure of ultimate beneficial ownership, liquidity ratios and technical competence.

Licences would be granted on a transitional basis to operators who have not acted unlawfully in the past 12 months. All other operators would have to wait out a 12-month moratorium.

Afterwards, they could regularise by paying a levy, amounting to a tax in lieu of 31% of gross revenue plus 0.07 UTM per user account. Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, the state lottery, would receive an eight-year grace period.

The bill gives the new superintendency powers to block gambling websites and apps and to regulate payment methods. It can also prosecute operators criminally and administratively. The bill also lets the superintendency share information with the financial intelligence unit and the market and tax regulators. The telecommunications authority and the prosecutor are included.

Chile Has Called These Platforms Illegal Since 2023

Gambling in Chile is prohibited unless a law says otherwise. Chile’s two lotteries, horse racing and land-based casinos are the only legal exceptions. The Supreme Court confirmed in a ruling of 12 September 2023 that online betting platforms operate outside that list.

The bill entered the Chamber of Deputies in March 2022 and is now in its second constitutional stage, approved in general and under clause-by-clause debate. October saw 143 gambling sites blocked in Chile.

What This Means

• Operators: if you have served Chilean players in the last year, the transitional door is shut. Price the market at a 12-month wait plus 31% of gross and 0.07 UTM per account, and decide now whether to exit cleanly or wait.
• Affiliates: a complete advertising ban is in the text. Chilean betting SEO and media buying has a defined shelf life, and the bonus restrictions hit comparison pages first. Stop signing 12-month Chilean placements.
• Providers: certification and a Chilean corporate vehicle are conditions of supply, not paperwork for later.

What’s Next

Clause-by-clause debate continues in the Economy Committee, after which the bill goes to the Finance Committee under a floor agreement from September 2025.

Source: Senate of Chile, committee report on Boletín 14.838-03, and the Economy Committee session of 27 October 2026