Chile may allow casinos to offer online gambling during pandemic

[The Buzz]

With Chile casino operators hurting due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, the government plans to send Congress a "transitory bill" aimed at allowing casinos to continue operating without the burden of having to renew their permits.

Included in the text is the ability to develop "remote gaming" platforms by gaming casinos "exclusively within the scope of the comprehensive project, in response to the pandemic, which will facilitate its operation once sanitary conditions allow it."

From Lanacion.cl:

This was reported by the undersecretary of Finance, Francisco Moreno, to the members of the Association of Municipalities with Gambling Casinos and the Chilean Association of Gambling Casinos, with whom he addressed the situation the industry is experiencing in the context of the Covid-19 emergency.

The articles propose the postponement, for one year, of the start of the new bidding process for operating permits for the 14 establishments that must be renewed in 2020-2021.

"We do not want the processes for the renewal of operating permits to be carried out under adverse conditions that will end up affecting municipal revenues for the next 15 years," said the authority.

Along with this, it proposes the extension of the current operating permits, in exchange for a 5% increase in the gross income tax rate obtained by these operating companies, reaching a total rate of 25% during the aforementioned period.

"Just to get an idea of ​​the revenue generated by this industry: in 2019, non-municipal casinos paid the amount of 54,162 million pesos as a specific tax on gambling. 50% of said amount went directly to the municipalities and the rest to the regional governments where these concessionaires are located. By VAT concept they found $ 53,209 million and in tickets they paid the sum of $ 18,453 million," Moreno indicated.

"With this initiative we seek to protect the income of the municipalities and the regions in which the gambling casinos are located. We are taking on a heartfelt aspiration for the unanimity of the mayors in order to guarantee truly competitive and beneficial processes with attractive economic offers for local governments,” he said.

Read more here: http://www.lanacion.cl/proyecto-perm...e-la-pandemia/

[GamingPro]

Would be cool if the USA allowed all states to play in the online wsop events during Covid

[jsmith144]

That's awesome, and seems like it'll do more to prevent the spread of COVID than putting up plastic barriers between slot machines on land-based casino floors ...

[Pokerface]

Good initiative to meet the needs of those wishing to continue to play while reducing risk and transmission. The need will be required for quite some time to come and governments should be preparing for longer term plans.