Best betting sites in Chile 2022
Located in the western part of South America, Chile is known around the world for its amazing landscapes (the Atacama Desert or the Easter Island), delicious wines, and vibrant culture. Of course, their passion for football can’t be taken off the list of things that make Chile famous around the world.
With top-quality players like Arturo Vidal, Claudio Bravo, or Alex Sanchez playing at massive clubs all across Europe, the sporting landscape is alive in Chile. As a result, there are also a lot of Chile betting sites where players can place their bets to support their favorite teams and players. And even though the online betting environment wasn’t always straightforward, with all gambling activities being banned in the country, nowadays things look very good.
The first betting laws in Chile appeared in 2005 and established the Superintendency of Gambling Casinos as the regulatory authority. With amendments in 2011, the betting and gambling landscape in Chile is now fully regulated and looks very promising.
Top bookmakers in Chile
How Betting Takes Place in Chile
For an extended period, bets placed on horse races were the only legal betting activity in Chile. However, this doesn’t mean Chilean punters have always focused their betting on horse racing. With football being so huge in the country, several local bookmakers started to appear even when this activity was illegal in the country. Everything changed with Law No. 10,995, also referred to as the Casino Act of 2005. This law allowed the 23 cities in the country to grant a license for casino activities. Along with the Casino Act, the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego (SCJ) was established as the regulatory authority.
While the Casino Act of 2005 also refers to sports betting, only the land-based operations are mentioned in the legislation. It was only in 2008 when a branch of Polla Chilena (Chile’s national lottery) placed several betting terminals all across the country. The same operator runs Xperto, the only legal online sports betting site in Chile delivering decent odds and betting markets for football, tennis, horse racing or Formula 1. However, Chilean punters looking for top-quality services prefer to choose any of the international bookmakers accepting players from this country. With no legal framework for online betting, there’s nothing preventing punters from accessing the much-improved services of foreign sportsbooks.
So, to sum things up, Chile’s online betting environment is pretty much a monopoly controlled by the National Lottery. With no plans of extending the online betting market with licenses awarded to international bookmakers and no restrictions for punters, things evolved towards a vast portion of Chilean punters playing at foreign sportsbooks. No shortage of Chilean betting sites offer their websites in Spanish so until the SCJ comes up with a solid plan to regulate the online betting landscape, punters can keep using the much-improved services of international bookies.
It looks like the government of Chile is considering pushing online gambling as a measure to offset the losses incurred by COVID-19. However, for the time being, the plan is to allow the online casinos to extend to online operations and an increase on taxation from 20% to 25%. There are still no mentions for online sports betting, unfortunately. However, considering the amounts spent by punters at international bookies, the authorities may soon want to find a way to collect revenue from online betting as well.
Things Every Betting Site in Chile Must Offer
All betting sites targeting Chilian players should, of course, focus on delivering the best possible services. Since they don’t need a Chile betting license, the bookmakers must be licensed by another reputable regulatory authority. Then, we can talk about several aspects that make betting a lot more enjoyable and comfortable for local punters. Things like offering the website in Spanish, a wide range of Primera Division de Chile betting markets with competitive odds are always going to be seen as a big plus by punters. Add some local payment methods and fair coverage of horse racing and international football, and you’re all set.
Can Punters from Chile Access Foreign Betting Sites?
Since there are no betting sites based in Chile and the legislation doesn’t mention online betting at all, punters are free to access any foreign betting site. As previously mentioned, this makes the Chilean betting landscape a very vibrant one with access to all the big foreign bookmakers. There are no blacklists, fines, or any other means through which players can be stopped from playing at the big international sportsbooks. So, all you have to do is choose the one that seems the best fit for your betting style, create an account, and start winning!
What Payment Methods Can I Use on Chilean Betting Sites?
With no restrictions on online betting itself, nothing is preventing Chilean punters from using the most popular online payment methods to top-up their accounts. Just like in many other jurisdictions where punters choose the services of international bookies, the VISA and MasterCard debit and credit card are very popular. Ewallets such as Skrill or Neteller are also widely used since they’re accepted at most international bookmakers and come with the added advantage of a faster withdrawal processing time. PayPal is another popular ewallet used in Chile, however, the fees for online betting are higher compared to the ones we mentioned previously.
For depositing-only, Paysafecard is also a good alternative as you can buy the pre-paid vouchers from several shops around the country. And, of course, cryptocurrency is always a valid alternative for the traditional payment methods. With no restrictions and a comprehensive set of benefits like increased security, total transparency, and the ability to track any payment, Bitcoin and Ethereum are growing in popularity when it comes to online betting payments.
Are Betting Exchanges Available in Chile?
The betting exchanges, just like traditional online bookmakers, can be accessed by Chilean punters with no restrictions. This means punters get access to the best betting exchanges like Betfair, Smarkets or Betdaq. Out of all these, Betfair seems to go the extra mile for its Chilean customers with a special offer and excellent coverage of Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.
Where can I File a Complaint About a Chilean Betting Site?
In case you’re playing at the local online bookmaker, Xperto and run into any kind of issues, you can address the SCJ for filing a complaint. You can reach the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego at +56 2 2589 3080. Otherwise, when playing at an international online bookie, you need to check the authority that issued their license and contact them directly. As always, we’re here to help you with any kind of issues that may arise during the betting process. Feel free to contact us, and we’ll do everything possible to reach the bookmaker and help you with everything.
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