Gambling Revenue in Chile Has Gone Through the Roof!

Chilean gambling law prohibited nationals from gambling for many years until 1990. Despite its being a relative new comer, the gambling business in Chile is booming and seems to continue expanding.

At this point, most forms of gambling are both legal and popular. Poker is the newest gambling pastime that has hit the scene and though it’s still not very popular, its being played more every day. One of the strongest branches of the industry lies in horseracing. This was the only form of gambling that was permitted prior to 1990 and therefore the form that most citizens are familiar with.

According to Francisco Javier Leiva, Chile’s Superintendent of Casinos, the latest figures show that the revenue from gambling is growing steadily. Gross monthly winnings apparently increased to $24.8 million in 2009, up $14.86 million from January of the same year.

According to reports a total of $224 million was grossed over the whole of 2009. This is remarkable because the reports that contained the cited data did not include seven casinos that were launched before 2005. Three more casinos are scheduled to open in 2010 and the industry is bound to continue expanding.

While the brick and mortar casino business seems to be booming, it can be expected that online casinos in Chile are also gaining in popularity. Currently, there are no Chilean online gambling centers and the government doesn’t grant licenses to anyone. However, the government is quite permissive and doesn’t go to great measures to try and prevent nationals from internet gambling in Chile.