The Supreme Court of Santiago declared admissible an appeal filed by Lotería de Concepción, which accused various telecommunications companies of failing to block access to illegal gambling and casino websites in the country.
In its ruling, the Court stated that “… pursuant to Article 20 of the Political Constitution of the Republic and the Agreed Order of this Court on the matter… it is declared that the protection appeal filed is admissible, and it must proceed accordingly.”
In this context, the General Manager of Lotería de Concepción, Mario Parada, expressed that this ruling “confirms that in our country, games of chance are prohibited and that only certain institutions, authorized by law, can conduct this activity, as Lotería de Concepción does through law 18.568.” Parada also emphasized that “it is imperative that organizations that illegally manage games of chance cease this activity immediately.”
“We call on those companies that facilitate illegal activities through their services, such as internet providers, to take immediate action by blocking the websites where gambling and other activities expressly prohibited by law take place,” Parada concluded.
The protection appeal presented by Lotería de Concepción is directed at the companies Claro Chile, Entel, GTD, Telefónica Chile, WOM, and VTR, for allowing access to illegal gambling and casino sites.
“This ruling sets a very important precedent and establishes that all companies providing services to illegal activities are acting unlawfully and arbitrarily,” stated Lotería de Concepción. They also emphasized that this ruling affects not only internet providers but also other services that currently support these illegal sites, such as media outlets and payment services.