Chile’s Financial Market Commission, the CMF, has taken a firm stance against unlicensed casinos operating in the country. The authority said that the payment operators should offer those services that are under the jurisdiction of Chile with required licenses. This issue was raised during a public discussion on the activities that payment card operators can support. It comes as Chile continues to define how unauthorised gambling is treated under its legal framework. If the proposal is approved, constraints could affect withdrawals and deposits involving unlicensed gambling platforms.
How the CMF Proposal Would Restrict Payments
The proposal suggests that the monetary services should be provided to operators authorised under Chilean law. The framework could also cover activities carried out on overseas platforms whose activities would be illegal if conducted in Chile.
CMF President Catherine Tornel was asked whether the proposal could stop payment operators from continuing to hand out services that are unlicensed. She replied that these casino activities are covered by the proposal and noted that gambling can legally operate in the country when they meet the authority’s requirements. As per La Tercera, Tornel said that if casino services are not offered by organisations via authorized means, they would not be considered legitimate.
As a result, payment operators would not be able to offer their services to businesses that are not legally authorised in Chile. The proposal adds extra pressure on payment operators that process transactions for offshore or unauthorized gambling platforms. Rather than focusing on the status of the gambling operators, the blueprint would also place constraints into financial services supporting these businesses and firms.
By restricting payment access, regulators could make it harder for illegal operators to take deposits or process withdrawals. This is notable because Chile’s earlier tactic failed. In 2025, the telecoms agency SubTel abandoned court-ordered site blocking after operators kept moving to new domains.
Why Casino Payouts Are Also Covered
These rules would not stop at customer deposits itself. Tornel confirmed that the payouts, inclusive of the withdrawals made by gamblers, could fall under the proposed idea. “ If our regulation is approved in the way it was presented for consultation, payouts could not be made to activities that are illegitimate in Chile”, Tornel said. She added that the activity is considered illegal when it is carried out without the necessary permissions.
This means that payment operators could face constraints on both sides of the facilitated transaction. Customers would face difficulties to deposit funds with illegal casinos, while operators could also face issues processing withdrawals to gamblers using those platforms.
The CMF’s position comes as Chilean authorities continue to intensify regulatory pressure on unauthorized online betting. It echoes moves elsewhere, including France’s ANJ, also introducing stringent rules around how payment operators manage gambling transactions. Chile’s Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that online gambling is illegal unless authorised, while the tax authority has separately addressed offshore operators’ obligations.
Chile’s Internal Revenue Service has opened a digital VAT registration route for offshore betting companies serving Chilean customers. However, tax registration does not give a company authority to operate an online gambling business under Chile’s gambling regulations.
The consultation places payment operators at the focal point of the conversation as the services would finalize whether illegal gambling platforms can continue managing customer funds in the nation.
If approved as drafted, the proposal would add a payments layer to Chile’s enforcement approach, alongside licensing, taxation and site blocking.
