Chamber of Deputies of Chile 68 ment “sanctions.” And by “sanctions,” they mean they’re willing to throw the book at you, potentially even landing you behind bars. Yes, my friends, it appears Chile is taking this matter incredibly seriously. But as always, the devil is in the details, and there are more questions than answers. Questions like: What does it mean to “operate in Chile?” Do these operators need to specifically target Chilean players, or is just being accessible to them enough? And what about those sites that are licensed and regulated in other jurisdictions? Are they still considered unlicensed in the eyes of Chilean authorities? It’s like trying to navigate a maze blindfolded, and we’re all just hoping we don’t stumble into a trap. So, if you’re a webmaster living anywhere in the world and a player from Chile uses your link either directly or through a VPN to play at a casino that’s licensed somewhere else, but maybe not in Chile, are they going to issue a warrant? Are they going to try to collect a fine from you? Are they going to lock you up? Unfortunately, we don’t have answers to any of those questions, because we’re embarking on an adventure into a Chilean online gambling jungle, where the rules are murky, and the stakes are higher than ever. Will webmasters and affiliates be hunted down like elusive prey? Only time will tell, but you can bet your bottom dollar that we’ll be keeping a close eye on this story as it unfolds. In the meantime, we nail the Chilean Chamber of Deputies to our Wall of Shame. Welcome to the club! Gather ‘round, iGaming friends, because for this edition of the APCWWall of Shame, we are diving into unchartered territory, which is saying something if you follow our industry news closely. Of all the zany stories that we’ve covered in the illustrious history of the APCW, this may be the first one where we have found a proposed online gambling bill that would simultaneously regulate our industry and punish those operators without a license with … wait for it … a prison sentence. That’s right. Prison, in Chile of all places. When we first caught wind of this back in August, our first thought was, “OK, big whoop. Every country that’s passed online gambling legislation has threatened consequences for those who don’t follow the rules.” But as we dug deeper, we found that Chilean authorities were not cooking up your run-of-the-mill regulatory framework. No, Chile has taken things to the next level. In a move that can only be described as audacious, Chile wants to do more than just slap the wrists of unlicensed operators. They’ve got their crosshairs locked on anyone who even thinks about promoting these rogue operators. Now, you might be wondering, “Does this include webmasters?” We did our due diligence, and lo and behold, couldn’t find the terms “affiliate” or “webmaster” anywhere. But here’s the kicker: the law states that anyone who profits from online gambling operating without a Chilean license, or anyone who advertises for these renegades, will be subjected to governWALL OF SHAME G P W A t i m e s . o r g
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