Chile Court Establishes Ongoing DNS Blocking for Illegal Betting

Chile’s Santiago Court of Appeals has approved a permanent procedure for restricting access to unauthorised online betting and gambling websites, creating a framework that allows new domains and mirror addresses to enter the enforcement process.

The measure follows a Supreme Court decision requiring telecommunications companies to block gambling platforms operating without the necessary authorisation. It gives Chilean authorities a way to update the list of blocked addresses without reopening the wider case each time an operator changes its domain.

New Framework Sets Out Domain Verification

Under the procedure, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia, Lotería de Concepción or other parties involved in the case can submit domains, subdomains, redirects and related websites believed to connect to unauthorised gambling services.

The Superintendency of Gaming Casinos (SCJ) will first determine whether the submitted addresses fall under the Supreme Court ruling. Once validated, the Telecommunications Subsecretariat (Subtel) will send the addresses to internet providers, which must add them to their DNS blocking systems within the period established by Subtel.

The providers must then report implementation to the Santiago Court of Appeals. The mechanism also allows additional addresses to be submitted when operators attempt to bypass restrictions by moving services to new domains or mirror sites.

The court included procedures for correcting mistaken blocks. That safeguard reflects its decision to use DNS filtering, which targets validated addresses individually and carries less risk of affecting unrelated lawful websites than broader technical blocking methods.

The arrangement also places the SCJ at the centre of address validation, ensuring that proposed blocks undergo regulatory review before providers receive instructions. This creates a defined sequence between identification, verification and technical implementation as authorities respond to domain changes.

Supreme Court Ruling Drives Renewed Enforcement

The dispute began with a protection action filed by Lotería de Concepción against telecom companies including Claro, Entel, GTD Manquehue, Telefónica Chile, WOM and VTR. The lottery argued that their networks provided access to online gambling services that lacked legal or administrative approval.

In September 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the lotteries’ claim and ordered the blocking of websites identified in the proceedings. The ruling stated that telecommunications companies could not transmit or promote games of chance without the required authorisation.

The enforcement process later faced procedural setbacks. The Santiago Court of Appeals had rejected the lottery operators’ action in April 2025, before the Supreme Court overturned that decision. In March 2026, the appeals court considered the ruling fulfilled. The Supreme Court subsequently overturned that position through a writ of certiorari in April and ordered enforcement proceedings to reopen, finding website blocking necessary to fulfil the ruling’s objective.

The latest decision follows a request for technical clarification. In May, the Santiago Court of Appeals instructed Subtel to explain how internet providers could implement the Supreme Court’s blocking order.

The resulting framework gives the authorities a continuing process for dealing with replacement domains while retaining a review stage for potentially affected legitimate services. The measure comes as Chile’s online gambling regulation bill continues to face delays in the legislature.

Source:

“Chile court sets continuous DNS blocking process for unauthorised betting sites”, g3newswire.com, August 10, 2026