On September 28, the Sports and Recreation Commission of the Chamber of Deputies sent to the floor the bill that prohibits the presence of advertising from online betting houses in sports events and clubs.
The motion led by deputy Marco Antonio Sulantay (UDI) intends to legislate against these companies that have been questioned in their operation in Chile since most of them do not have a Chilean address.
This situation allows them not to pay taxes in the country despite the millions of dollars they earn annually in profits. For now, they are illegal and are not supervised by any state body. This is a legislative initiative that is in force in parallel to the one that would regulate its presence in the national market.
For this reason, the vote that is scheduled for this Wednesday (30) in the Chamber of Deputies could generate economic problems in Chilean football sector, which relies on millionaire agreements with these international and national companies. In fact, one of the latest strong offers for the rights to the 2023 National Championship is from Betsson.
The vote of the parliamentarians is finally on the table and will take place this Wednesday, November 30, in the ordinary session of the Lower House from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It will be the first constitutional procedure, so it could be studied again in the commission with some indications, a possibility that appears among the analyzes of the environment of the betting houses that have maintained the lobby to try to convince parliamentarians not to ban sponsorship.
"Of course the clubs are concerned and we have held various meetings with managers, explaining to them that this is a legal activity and, in fact, it is one of the most regulated industries in the world. Today the betting platforms are the main sponsors of the professional football teams, replicating a global trend, but these resources also benefit football formative and female division," explained Carlos Baeza, lawyer representing Betano, Betsson, Coolbet, Estelarbet and Latamwin.
Bookmakers have an 85% approval rating
In advance of this vote in the Chamber of Deputies, a study by the Citizen Panel carried out in October analyzed the perception of Chileans regarding online sports betting houses. 75% know them or have heard of them, while 73% say they found out about these platforms through social networks.
Among those who declared knowing about these bookmakers, 37% confirmed that they have used them. Regarding the regulation of the operation of these companies in Chile, 85% of those surveyed approve them and 60% believe that they should pay the same taxes as physical casinos (Monticello, Dreams, Enjoy). The other 40% are evenly divided between those who believe they should pay more taxes and those who should pay less.
The analysis also asked about the economic impact on the clubs if the advertising ban is approved. Of the people consulted, 61% believe that it will have economic consequences. The rest think no.
Source: Dinamo
