Chile – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
As with many of the countries in South America, the gambling laws in Chile can take a little bit of getting used to. Gambling is very popular in the country, and while brick and mortar casinos are legal, the laws around online play are slightly more complicated. Online gambling is illegal in Chile but this doesn’t mean that there aren’t any online casinos that you can access. International casinos that have a registered gambling license elsewhere can still be available to play here. The country itself, however, does allow casinos to operate domestically. This does also mean that players may run into some unlicensed casinos, so they should be vigilant for those.
Find the Best Chile Casino Online
Online gambling laws in Chile can be difficult to navigate, but international casinos with an offshore license are allowed to operate there. This makes it considerably safer for players in Chile to be able to gamble online. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be some questionable operators also working in the country, so there are still some precautions that players should take when choosing a site to play at. These are some of the important questions you should be asking.
- Can players that are located in Chile register with the site?
- What license does the casino have?
- What safety and security techniques does the casino use?
- What games do they have available?
- What currencies are accepted at the casino? Do they accept cryptocurrencies?
- What is the casino’s reputation like online?
- Are players from Chile able to take part in welcome bonuses and other promotions?
Knowing which casinos are safe to play at and which ones are not can be extremely difficult. It is a skill that can take years of online gambling to develop, and that’s why we here at GoodLuckMate have taken the time to do that for you. If you are looking for an online casino to play at in Chile or have any doubts about an operator you are using, then check out our detailed casino reviews elsewhere on the page. Safety is our first priority but we also analyze every other aspect of the casino including their gaming options and the bonuses and promotions they have on offer.
Gambling Regulation – Federal Gambling Commission
The Federal Gambling Commission of Chile was established in 2004 to coincide with the country’s new gambling laws at the time. These regulate all the casinos that open in the country. As per the current legislation in the country, the maximum amount that can be open in Chile at any one time is 24. The laws in Chile allow for most forms of other forms of gambling to take place offline including a national lottery and sports betting.
The laws in Chile prohibit online gambling. This means that there are no online casinos in the country that are licensed by the Federal Gambling Commission. This law applies to casinos that are based in Chile, which means that players can access international casinos that are licensed in other countries. There have been several proposals over the year to start licensing online casinos domestically and given the Chileans love for gambling, you should definitely watch this space to see if the laws change.
Localized Online Casinos
With international casinos being able to operate in Chile, many popular operators will accept players from the country. Of course, the local language is Spanish, which also means that players will have no problems finding casinos that offer support and gaming for them. Most of these sites will also allow players to claim their welcome bonuses and promotions as well.
Gambling with the Chilean Peso
With domestic online gambling being illegal in the country, it is highly unlikely that players will be able to find any online operators who will accept the Chilean Peso as a form of currency. Most of the casinos that operate in the country are likely to accept more popular currencies such as the US dollar or the euro.
Another option that players may have is to find a casino that accepts cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Litecoin. The first Bitcoin exchange opened in Chile in 2015 and it has been growing in popularity in the country ever since. There is a huge selection of online casinos which now accept cryptocurrencies.
Casinos in Chile
In spite of the online gambling restrictions in place in the country, Chileans really do love to gamble. The country is home to some really popular brick and mortar casinos. Current laws state that 24 casinos can be open at one time. The Vina del Mar is one of the most popular establishments in the country and having opened in 1930, it is the oldest one in Chile. There are also many different sports betting options available to players there as well.
Of course, the ban on online gambling means that there are no domestically operated online casinos open in the country. These rules do not apply to international casinos though, and many big operators will allow players from the country to play. On top of this, there are also several popular sportsbooks that operate in the country.
With many popular online casinos operating there, players should have no problem finding a gambling site online. Before doing so, we recommend that you thoroughly research a casino and check out our GoodLuckMate casino reviews before signing up and spending money at one. Bear in mind, as gambling is still illegal you will be gambling at your own risk.
Dispute resolution – can I get help from a third party?
A gambling license is intended to protect players, and one of its main functions is to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes when they come up. If you have a dispute with a casino, and the casino is being unreasonable, the gambling authority will help you. For many licenses, this means you can contact the gambling authority to get help processing your withdrawals, claiming money the casino has debited from your account, or resolving other disputes that might arise. The likelihood that the gambling authority will help you in ways that are effective, however, depends on the procedures they have in place for this. This is yet another reason why choosing to play at a casino that has a safe license is important.
Getting help directly from the gambling authority is not always necessary, or even an option. A lot of regulators have now enforced third-party dispute resolution. This means casinos must have an agreement with an arbitrator who will look into disputes on the behalf of players from a particular casino. This ensures your dispute will be reviewed by an objective third party. All trusted online casinos have information about arbitration on their websites if they use this option, or they’ll have the contact information for the gambling authority you should consult. However, you should always try to resolve your issues with the casino first, and a lot of casinos have separate email addresses specifically for handling complaints.
Secure payments – can I trust a casino with my money?
If you’re worried about the security of the transactions you’re making at a casino, you should look for a logo with the acronym PCI DSS. This stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and this is something the payment industry has created. If you see this logo, it means the casino can be trusted for safe money transactions since they follow all of the rules set by the payment industry. Information about this can also be found in an FAQ section on the casino’s website.
Another thing to look out for in terms of payments is where your money is kept while you play. Some gambling authorities, all of the best ones actually, regulate what the casino can do with your money while they are holding it. Your money shouldn’t go into a general bank account held by the casino; it should go into an account that is strictly for holding player funds. This means that as long as you have the money in your player account, it can’t be spent by the casino. Your deposit will be kept separate from the operating funds of the casino until your player account is empty, which will happen if you make a funds withdrawal or if you lose the money while playing.Fair gaming – do the games give me a fair chance to win?
The best known system tool for ensuring that a casino offers fair games is eCogra; however, there are other providers that also offer these kinds of systems. You want to make sure that the casino is using a certified third-party control system to ensure that the games of chance you’re playing are actually based on chance and not on other types of metrics. Rigged games are ones that have been set up to pay out less than they claim to or ones that give some players a greater chance of winning than others.
The eCogra logo can often be found in the footer of the casino’s website, but not all casinos choose to display it. If you can’t see this logo, go to the FAQs and see if you can find information about random number generators. If there are no FAQs on the site, check out their terms and conditions or contact the casino’s support and ask how they ensure their games are safe.
Encrypted website – how is my information kept safe?
An SSL-encrypted website should be mandatory for any casino, and very few casinos operate without this or similar safe encryption features. Always keep in mind that you are giving the casino quite a bit of sensitive information, including your payment details. When you’re uploading and sending documents to verify your identity, you want to make sure that no unauthorized third-party has access to them. Site security, therefore, doesn’t only include the website itself but also what the casino does on the backend. You should always look into a casino’s data security. You’ll normally find information about this in their terms and conditions and their privacy policy. If in doubt, contact their support and ask for more detailed information.
Most trustworthy casinos have information about site security in the website footer, so simply scroll down and look for the logo of a well-known security system.
Gambling license – can I play at a casino from my country?
The gambling license a casino operates under will have a big impact on your security. Not all licenses are equally safe for players for the simple reason that they are issued by different gambling authorities that work in different ways and have different rules. The rules and regulations may be quite similar, but the way they are enforced is a different story entirely. For example, if a casino doesn’t comply with the regulations, some gambling authorities may just issue a fine while others may revoke the casino’s license outright. How often gambling authorities show up for an unscheduled inspection or control will also vary.
The biggest differences between a safe, high quality gambling license and one that isn’t as good will usually show up in the areas of fair gaming, dispute resolution and the rules and systems for identifying and handling problem gamblers (responsible gambling). If your country of residence has its own gambling authority, playing at casinos that are licensed by them will be the safest option for you. Other international licenses that can be trusted are issued by the Malta Gambling Authority and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Curacao eGaming is getting better at protecting players whereas licenses from Panama and Costa Rica, for instance, are considered less safe. The worst option is obviously a casino with no license whatsoever.
Our casino experts have tried and tested all aspects of each and every casino, so you can feel confident when signing up.
