A legal insider within the Chilean government structure, Joaquin Morales, told a regional television show host last week that the government is considering how best to deal with the current “grey area” status of the game within national laws.
Morales said that the investigative project was still in its early stages, with a task force examining how other nations are dealing with the legality and regulation of online poker.
Chile online casino sites are operating in the country as part of land casino activities, but thus far this has not extended to online poker, Morales explained.
The grey status of the genre has meant that online poker companies accessing the growing Chilean market are free to sponsor tournaments and television shows, and advertise and promote their products in the country.
Chilean insiders responding to Morales’ comments expressed doubt that a formal regulatory regime for online poker is likely to come about in the immediate future, despite the significant and growing interest in the game among players following several high profile international wins by Chilean players like Alex Manzano Ramirez.
The surging popularity of the game has seen the formation of underground poker rooms, which has alarmed some members of government, but apparently not sufficiently to inject an element of urgency into clarifying the status of poker through specific legislation.
Knowledge of both the game and the industry among Chile’s lawmakers is reportedly poor, and Chilean poker supporters have been campaigning for recognition of the game as one predominantly of skill rather than chance. Legislators in general appear to view poker as a game of chance that should be confined to licensed casinos.