The Chilean state lottery operator, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, has officially lodged a series of formal ethical complaints with the Consejo de Autorregulación y Ética Publicitaria (Conar).
The legal action targets multiple prominent advertising agencies and audiovisual production companies suspected of designing and broadcasting marketing campaigns for unauthorized online betting platforms. This regulatory offensive arrives at a critical juncture, as Chile’s Congress continues to debate the specific legal parameters of a future licensing framework for the country’s online gambling sector.
Alleged Breaches of the National Advertising Ethics Code
In the official filings submitted to Conar, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia argued that these aggressive marketing initiatives directly breach the Chilean Advertising Ethics Code by actively promoting cross-border gambling networks that possess no legal permission to offer games of chance within the country.
Furthermore, the state lottery operator expressed deep institutional concerns regarding how these campaigns normalize gambling behaviors among minors, lack visible responsible gambling warnings, and frame betting as a casual lifestyle choice.
The legal complaints highlight several localized agencies and production campaigns:
- Enelblanco.TV: Accused of developing a video slot campaign for Coolbet starring the former captain of the Chile national football team, Claudio Bravo, which allegedly features a minor in the advertisement.
- Ampfy: Cited for manufacturing broadcast commercials for Betano on major sports television networks, which the operator claims incorrectly misleads consumers into viewing digital sports betting as an ordinary, risk-free relaxation activity.
- Draff.tv: Targeted for an interactive campaign built for Jugabet that incorporates video-game-style imagery explicitly designed to attract younger phone users.
- PartnerProd.cl: Challenged for producing live-odds TV commercials for Rojabet that superimpose real-time betting updates over live football broadcasts, creating a normalized gambling loop for sports fans.
Targeting Financial Intermediaries via Anti-Money Laundering Claims
This is not the first high-profile legal measure initiated by the state lottery operator this year. In February, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia filed an intensive money laundering lawsuit targeting several major payment processing firms operating as financial bridges for offshore bookmakers. The complaint named six legal representatives accused of facilitating transactions for unauthorized platforms.
The state lottery operator noted that these offshore networks systematically utilize international third-party intermediaries, making it incredibly complex to pursue direct legal action against them within local Chilean jurisdiction. By filing complaints with Conar and targeting payment processors, Polla Chilena is leveraging every available enforcement tool to curb black-market operations while the legislative framework remains unfinalized.
