Polla Chilena Targets Advertising Agencies Over Promotion of Illegal Betting Platforms

The Chilean state lottery operator Polla Chilena de Beneficencia has officially lodged complaints with the Consejo de Autorregulación y Ética Publicitaria (Conar) against various advertising agencies and audiovisual production companies suspected of promoting unregulated online betting platforms in Chile. This comes amid ongoing talks in the country regarding the future licensing framework for operators in the online gambling sector.

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In the official complaints filed to Conar, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia pointed out that the advertising campaigns may breach the Chilean Advertising Ethics Code since they promote gambling platforms that have no legal permission to provide their services in the country.

In addition to the above, the operator expressed concerns over the campaigns’ promotion of gambling among young people, normalizing betting behaviors, and the lack of information regarding responsible gambling practices.

Complaints Against Gambling Agencies and Campaigns

Among the agencies mentioned in the complaints, there is Enelblanco.TV, which has created campaigns for Coolbet starring the former captain of the Chile national football team, Claudio Bravo. According to the complaint, in one of the advertisements, a minor appears as well.

Next, Ampfy was accused of developing ads for Betano and broadcasting them on sports TV channels. The operator claimed that such ads might lead consumers to think of online betting as an ordinary way to relax and entertain themselves, disregarding the financial dangers of betting.

Finally, the agency Draff.tv has created a campaign for the online gambling platform Jugabet that uses gaming visuals to attract younger clients. According to the complaint, these ads might give the impression that betting is just another ordinary way of entertainment for mobile phone users.

Concerns Related to Online Betting Ads in Chile

Apart from the above, PartnerProd.cl, which has developed TV commercials for Rojabet, was mentioned in the complaint. These commercials show people enjoying football games with live betting odds appearing on the screen during the match.

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This way, according to the complaint, online betting becomes normalized, especially for younger generations and sports fans who watch football matches daily. In addition, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia expressed its concerns over the lack of responsible gambling messages in such commercials.

Online Betting Ads in the Country without Regulations

This situation demonstrates how the increasing number of advertising campaigns of online betting platforms conflicts with the current lack of a finalized regulatory framework. As long as Chile’s Congress continues debating the possible legislation in the sector, issues with advertising remain unresolved.

Legal Action Taken against Payment Processing Firms

This is not the first legal offense initiated by the state lottery operator against illegal gambling. Earlier this year, in February, Polla Chilena de Beneficencia filed a money laundering claim against payment processing companies associated with illegal gambling in Chile.

According to the complaint, six individuals acting as legal representatives for the payment processing companies have been accused of conducting financial transactions with operators that do not have the authorization to conduct gambling activities in Chile.

The state lottery operator noted that online gambling platforms frequently use third parties located abroad for carrying out financial transactions. Thus, it is hard to bring legal action against them because they operate from other countries, avoiding Chilean jurisdiction.

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Source: SBC Noticias