Conajzar with the DNIT departments responsible for fiscal in- telligence and tax control processes. New measures mean that all municipalities (many which of which had ignored directives to close street operations) now have to report to the General Di- rectorate of Gambling. In addition those operating slots in small businesses will now need to comply with new technological requirements meaning that systems must be connected online or in real-time with the regulatory authority. Puerto Rico too has made notable progress especially when it
comes to the illegal route market. Puerto Rico saw the closure of a number of casinos as illegal gaming continued to spread throughout the island with lawmakers and industry professional calling for urgent action on the issue. In January 2025 the Gaming Commission announced that
the Financial Oversight and Management Board (JSF) had finally approved the continuation of processes that would lead to the implementation of the Regulations for the Issuance, Management, and Supervision of Route Gaming Machines (Regulation No. 9647). Shortly afterwards the Puerto Rico Gaming Commission announced the start of the application and renewal process for licenses. Oversight is now carried out by the Office of Investigation and Regulation of the Gaming Commission, in collaboration with the Puerto Rico Police and the Department of Treasury, among other agencies.
Despite the huge scale of the problem
governments have made progress. It seemed that lawmakers would never get to grips with illegal
street gaming in many jurisdictions but as we are seeing in Puerto Rico this is no longer the case.
Meanwhile in Brazil the SPA by working closely with other government agencies is making definite headway.
Commission of the Chamber of Deputies has approved admin- istrative sanctions and criminal prosecution for anyone who il- legally exploits games of chance. In order to prohibit gambling machines with skill based elements lawmakers approved a much stricter definition for gambling machines. With new rules on the way we could well now see the beginning of the end of illegal slots in Chile.
Tere have been government initiatives for over a decade that have sought to ban so called “neighbourhood casinos” which have been able to grow quickly as local governments have not drawn a clear line between slot machines and Skill with Prizes Machines. Tis will now change as the Security Commission of the Chamber of Deputies has approved administrative sanctions and criminal prosecution for anyone who illegally exploits games of chance.
Meanwhile, in Chile, the government is finally getting to grips
with unlicensed slots with wide sweeping regulations on the way which impose severe sanctions on those found to be breaking new rules. Tere have been government initiatives for over a decade that have sought to ban so called “neighbourhood casinos” which have been able to grow quickly as local govern- ments have not drawn a clear line between slot machines and Skill with Prizes Machines. Tis will now change as the Security
OUTLOOK While progress is being made lawmakers will have to be careful not to drive players to the black market. Brazil is likely to impose a selective tax on betting and there are proposals on the table to increase taxes on gross gaming revenue. According to a recent study illegal operators already represent about half of the market in Brazil. In Chile the government is in the final stages of approving its online gambling bill. Te proposed tax rate there will include a 19 per cent VAT and operators who have already established a presence there will face with a year-long “cooling off” period before they can operate. To make matters worse gambling corruption stories continue
to make headlines. Most recently the former director of Casinos and Gambling in the Dominican Republic, admitted his respon- sibility for accepting bribes from illegal betting parlours in exchange for allowing them to operate. Despite the huge scale of the problem governments have
made progress. It seemed that lawmakers would never get to grips with illegal street gaming in many jurisdictions but as we are seeing in Puerto Rico this is no longer the case. Meanwhile in Brazil the SPA by working closely with other government agencies is making definite headway. However, the battle against illegal gambling shows just how quickly government agencies need to react. Scammers and criminal elements are constantly employing new ways to draw players to illegal sites and scams. Te battle lines are constantly shifting as criminal organisations change their own strategies. Although it’s no easy task governments will have to try and keep up.
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