Santiago, Chile, August 11th, 2026
Estafa.info specialist Carolina Rondón on what Chilean players actually check before depositing, and what the incoming licensing regime has to fix
In a new interview, Carolina Rondón, the gaming and betting specialist who covers the Chilean market for the website-verification platform Estafa.info, sets out what players value most when choosing an online operator as the country moves closer to regulating the sector.
Chile is nearer than ever to a licensing framework. The Government’s betting bill (14838-03) has been approved in general terms by the Senate, and a technical committee is now negotiating the detail. An industry-commissioned study estimates the market moved close to USD 3.1 billion in 2024, with around 5.4 million Chileans betting, almost all of it offshore, unlicensed and untaxed.
Rondón assesses operators from the player’s side: withdrawal conditions, identity verification and transparency, the everyday details that decide whether a brand keeps or loses a customer. Her central argument is that a licence on its own will not decide who wins Chile.
“Operators coming in must understand that the local player values transparency in the rules, closeness, and the stability of the system.”
Banking Works, the Law Does Not
Chile’s online casinos operate in what Rondón describes as a legal limbo. The bill is still moving between the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, while the Internal Revenue Service (SII) has begun requiring operators without a local address to pay tax, a move that has drawn objections from bodies that classify online casinos as an illegal activity. A loophole lets operators keep running in the meantime.
“It’s an ambiguous and confusing scenario, because you can use almost all the local banking gateways, and people’s data is real and tied to their RUT, yet it is formally labeled ‘illegal.'”
For players, the contradiction is visible at the cashier. Every major bank appears as a deposit or withdrawal method, and because those banks are monitored for tax purposes, every movement by casinos and players alike is already traceable. Rondón sees the remaining obstacle as bureaucratic rather than practical, and compares it to a pattern Chileans already know:
“It’s very similar to the case of ride-hailing apps like Uber: it’s said to be illegal, but in practice everyone uses it normally.”
A Market Built on Offshore Operators
Asked whether the USD 3.1 billion estimate matches what she observes, Rondón says it does, and adds that recent studies show a significant share of Chileans now treat betting as a form of investment. She describes a shift in how the category is perceived, driven by how visible it has become.
“You watch a football match and the ads dominate the screen, on top of the casino artists and influencers who promote them all the time. People know perfectly well what it’s about.”
In her reading of public perception, predicting a sports result or playing for entertainment now feels more accessible than traditional lottery draws, where the odds are far longer.
Bonuses Open Accounts, Withdrawals Keep Them
Welcome offers still work, but Rondón draws a sharp line between new and experienced players.
“It has quite an influence at first, but I think experienced players no longer fall for it so easily. They know that flashy bonuses come with ‘fine print’ and demand high wagering requirements before you can withdraw your winnings.”
Newer players are the ones most often hooked by these offers, which she notes is a predictable outcome of an effective acquisition tactic rather than a failure on the player’s part.
On what users should examine before registering, she points to three things:
- The lists of verified operators published on Estafa.info
- The site’s general security mechanisms, in particular whether the platform asks users to download suspicious files or share sensitive data in an irregular way
- The technical support service, which on a trustworthy operator responds quickly and gives real help with a real issue
Her own routine, published in her analysis of Estafa.info, is deliberately unglamorous:
“My basic check is always whether the casino asks for identity verification and whether the payment methods are in my name. I also confirm that withdrawals have clear timeframes and visible policies. If that information isn’t easy to find, I’d rather not risk my money.”
Where Withdrawals and Verification Break Down
Withdrawals generate the largest share of complaints, and Rondón says the difference between a trustworthy operator and an untrustworthy one only becomes visible at one specific moment: a large win. She has read numerous complaints from players who hit significant amounts and then met account blocks or obstruction justified by supposed technical problems.
“A truly trustworthy operator shouldn’t present hurdles or unjustified delays precisely at the moment the user decides to withdraw their funds.”
Identity checks are a separate issue, and one she treats as legitimate in principle. Well-run operators explain plainly that the checks exist for security. Where they go wrong is repetition:
“These should be limited to reasonable time periods or triggered specifically during large deposits and withdrawals. It’s very annoying for the user when the system logs them out or asks for double verification in the middle of an active play.”
Finding the rules in advance is harder than it should be. Rondón notes that players skim in a fast-information environment, and that operators rarely make the terms easy to reach.
“The withdrawal terms and policies often have to be dug out of the site to find them, forcing the player to decipher huge texts full of legal jargon before they can operate.”
The Red Flags Players Still Miss
Asked how players end up harmed by sites that look legitimate at first glance, Rondón identifies one recurring entry point.
“The main mistake is believing in impossible or fake promotions; the ones that promise to give away large sums of money just for signing up on dubious websites.”
Many of these turn out to be clones of older pages, or platforms that ask the user to download an executable file.
“No serious casino asks for that kind of action, which is a clear sign of irregularity.”
What the New Regime Has to Get Right
The bill would give licensing and oversight powers to a Superintendency of Casinos, Betting and Games of Chance. Rondón points out that the superintendency already exists and has always been oriented toward physical, local gambling. The real test is whether its remit can be extended to cover the online market in practice, and whether it will act as a place players can turn to in a dispute.
“We expect a regulator that acts proactively rather than reactively; a true market watchdog.”
She also flags a channelization risk. Given requirements such as retroactive payment of VAT for the previous 36 months, and Minister Jorge Quiroz’s stated positions on raising revenue, she considers it likely that operating costs rise and margins get restructured. If that happens, licensed sites cannot rely on the licence itself as a selling point.
“Regulated sites will have to counter the impact by offering better tangible benefits to the player: a higher standard in data security, instant withdrawals and a protected environment that unregulated platforms cannot replicate.”
The protection she singles out as most valuable, because it does not exist today, is enforceable technical quality: comprehensive security, and stable mobile apps genuinely available in the official iOS and Android stores.
“Sometimes platforms promise optimal environments that in practice don’t work well. If the regulated market is going to involve higher tax costs, the trade-off must be to offer spaces with guaranteed technical quality.”
Advice for Operators Entering a Regulated Chile
For brands preparing to enter the licensed market, Rondón’s guidance is to avoid the mistakes already made by incumbents. She names three:
- Unstable platforms
- Interfaces saturated with poorly calibrated automated tools
- Technical support that relies entirely on a bot
Independent Verification After Licensing
Regulation will not remove the need for independent verification, in Rondón’s view, because fraudulent sites will not disappear when licensed ones appear.
“We will be a safe channel of information verified by professionals, whose purpose is to guide users toward making the best decisions before putting their money at risk.”
Asked what a healthier Chilean market looks like in two or three years if the bill passes broadly as drafted, she describes a formalized and more transparent one.
“Players will have the backing of clear institutions, fair rules of play, and the certainty that they are operating on verified technical platforms, drastically reducing the room for fraud and misinformation in the country.”
About Carolina Rondón
Carolina Rondón is a gaming and betting specialist covering the Chilean market for Estafa.info, where she analyses operators from the player’s perspective: licensing, withdrawal conditions, identity verification and the transparency of published terms. She has worked in online gambling and betting analysis and content, and publishes the platform’s Chilean market assessments.
About Estafa.info
Estafa.info is a consumer protection platform specialising in website verification, online fraud prevention and digital safety across Latin America and Spain. The platform publishes independent research, educational content and market analysis to help users identify trustworthy online services, online gambling operators among them, and promotes transparency and informed decision-making.