Chile uncovers 910 public officials illegally gambling billions in casinos
A major investigation in Chile has uncovered that 910 public officials broke the law by gambling in casinos. Between January 2024 and June 2025, these individuals placed bets totalling over 11.49 billion Chilean pesos. The country's strict rules forbid civil servants from any form of casino betting. Chile's Contraloría General de la República (CGR) identified the officials after reviewing betting records. The findings showed that just 181 of them accounted for 96.8% of the total wagers. Among the worst offenders, 20 individuals alone bet a combined 5.392 billion pesos, while one Air Force officer staked over 1.04 billion pesos.
The CGR has now ordered the 371 public bodies linked to these officials to investigate and impose penalties. It also flagged potential criminal activity, given the scale of some bets. The list of names has been passed to the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego for further action. Under Chile's Law 19.995, Article 10 (B), public officials are explicitly banned from casino gambling. However, the investigation did not reveal whether any of the 910 had faced previous sanctions for similar violations.
The case exposes ongoing difficulties in enforcing gambling bans among public officials. With 11.49 billion pesos wagered, the incident raises concerns about oversight in Chile's public sector. Authorities will now determine whether additional legal steps are needed.
