In a striking escalation of the debate surrounding Chile’s gambling legislation, Macarena Carvallo, the president of the state-run lottery operator Polla Chilena, has issued a dire warning regarding the social impact of digital wagering.
In a recent high-profile interview, Carvallo compared the addictive nature of online betting to a lethal opioid crisis, calling it “the new fentanyl of the 21st century”.
A Growing Crisis for Chilean Youth
Carvallo’s comments specifically targeted the vulnerability of the younger generation, arguing that digital platforms provide a level of accessibility that traditional lottery systems never possessed.
“Online betting can be called a new drug for teenagers: this is the new fentanyl of the 21st century. This is what has happened in the United States… and in Brazil, where President Lula Da Silva recently stated that he will restrict platforms,” she stated.
The president emphasized that without rigorous regulatory mechanisms and age-verification protocols, Chile risks observing irreparable “negative consequences for children and adolescents,” a trend she claims is already manifesting in the local population.
Financial Erosion of State Public Funds
Beyond the social outcry, Polla Chilena is grappling with significant fiscal headwinds. The company’s 2025 financial reports reveal that gross income fell to 120.253 billion pesos, marking an 18.34% decline compared to 2024.
The sports prediction platform Xperto has been particularly hard hit by unregulated competition.
“The contribution of Xperto was 18 billion pesos to the budget of the National Sports Institute (IND) in 2024; in 2025, the contribution was about 14 billion,” Carvallo noted.
She argued that when illegal activity is allowed to persist despite court rulings, it is not just the state company that suffers, but the public beneficiaries who rely on these funds for national sports and social programs.
Readiness for a Regulated Market
Despite her staunch opposition to the current state of the industry, Carvallo clarified that Polla Chilena has spent years modernizing its technology stack to survive a potential shift toward a licensed framework.
“This is why I can state that, if Chile decides to open its market of online betting to liberalization and regulation, we are ready to compete,” she added.
The dilemma now facing Chilean lawmakers is how to reconcile the undeniable economic allure of a regulated market with the profound social and public-funding risks highlighted by the state’s most powerful lottery executive.
