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The Chilean National Lottery Polla Chilena de Beneficencia has taken another step in its offensive against online gambling sites in Chile by filing a criminal complaint for money laundering, criminal association, and illegal gambling operations.
The action was filed with the 4th Guarantee Court of Santiago and has already been declared admissible. In it, the state-owned company targets payment service providers (PSPs) that, it alleges, facilitated the operation of these platforms, which are prohibited in Chile.
The president of the Board of Directors of Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Macarena Carvallo stated that “this lawsuit stems from our legal and ethical duty as a company to safeguard public resources and ensure that gambling activities in Chile are conducted within the framework of current legislation.” She added that it is not a harmless activity, as it can cause problems such as gambling addiction, with a high social cost for the country.
Carvallo explained that one of the focuses of the legal action is to clarify the role that Payment Service Providers (PSPs) may have played in these operations.
“The operation of these platforms requires payment systems that allow them to conduct their business using debit or credit cards and to operate through PSPs to move money flows to and from Chile. It is essential to investigate under what scheme this activity with illegal businesses is carried out and whether the funds involved come from crimes such as money laundering or finance organized crime activities in Chile,” she stated.
The state-owned company reiterated that it will continue to take all necessary actions to ensure the proper functioning of the authorized gaming system and to safeguard the resources generated by the institution, which are intended to finance public policies and charitable institutions.
“Our commitment is to legality, transparency, and responsible gaming. We cannot normalize illegal activities that operate outside the law and the public interest,” Carvallo concluded.
The move marks another step in efforts to block unlicensed operators in Chile. In November the Supreme Court ordered major internet companies operating in Chile to block access to all illegal online betting sites within five (5) days. The Supreme Court established that only Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción, and Teletrak have the legal authorization to offer online gambling, deeming other platforms illegal.
