Lawyer Carlos Baeza, representative of four online betting houses, spoke before the Economic Commission of the Chilean Congress

Last Tuesday, January 17, the lawyer Carlos Baeza, representative of the Betsson, Coolbet, Betano and Latamwin betting platforms, appeared before the Economic Commission of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies to present his position and suggestions regarding the bill on the regulation of online casinos that is under discussion.

In the intervention, the lawyer - who is a member of IMGL (International Masters of Gaming Law) referred to various topics, including the reason for regulating: the user is protected, tax collection increases, minimum operating standards established and the fact that Chile is put at the level of developed countries in terms of importance.

He also referred to the user protection, explaining that this "is done through the protection of minors, the promotion of responsible gambling and control of compulsive gambling, the protection of public faith, the prevention of money laundering and the constitution of guarantees to ensure the payment of prizes to the user.”

Among the proposals for improvements to the project, the expert proposed eliminating the user tax, which among other things, can become an incentive for illegal gambling; he also proposed to increase the rules that avoid possible conflicts of interest, for which he recommends incorporating a series of actors that have not been considered, such as sports teams that are being or could be sponsored by the platforms, among other points.

Legality of online casinos

Another point that the lawyer clarified was the legality of online casinos. In this regard, he said that "the constitution does not contain any express norms in relation to games of chance." Furthermore, he added that there is no ban on online betting in Chilean law. However, he was emphatic in pointing out that his representatives are aligned and committed to collaborating so that a regulation can be completed soon. “We think it is an important activity that should be regulated.”

Digital VAT

Baeza was also consulted about the payment of VAT by the companies he represents, to which he pointed out that "the digital VAT payment is applied to the services provided by online betting platforms today, which are international companies that do not have residence in Chile. The companies are registered and pay,” he concluded.

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