El Ciudadano
Original article: Senador Velásquez (FRVS): «Pasamos de las boletas falsas al blanqueamiento de las casas de apuestas ilegales»
Following Exempt Resolution No. 69 from June 2, 2026, in which the Internal Revenue Service (SII) confirmed the taxation of online betting houses despite the Supreme Court’s ruling deeming them illegal, Senator Esteban Velásquez (FRVS) from the Antofagasta region criticized the measure. He described it as «a new way of laundering illegal activities, reminiscent of ideologically false invoices.»
The senator, who has consistently opposed this decision, particularly emphasizing the illegality of these betting houses, remarked, «We have moved from a recent past of illegal political financing through fraudulent invoices to companies like Penta and SQM, to this new situation of laundering illegal gambling and betting houses. It is unreasonable to permit and endorse the Internal Revenue Service to establish a registry, a sort of mechanism, for these digital platforms to pay taxes on their operations, disregarding the fact that these economic activities are prohibited by law and are declared illegal by the Supreme Court in Chile.»
«It is unacceptable for the Ministry of Finance to support this true tunnel of darkness by attempting to collect taxes from these illegal businesses in Chile, especially in a country like ours, which constantly proclaims the rule of law. Clearly, we are straying from this theoretical concept,» the senator added.
In this context, Velásquez emphasized the complexity of understanding how, while all surveys show a decline in institutional credibility, «we tear our garments over integrity. With such decisions, it seems some aim to deepen that disrepute. Undoubtedly, the Internal Revenue Service risks serious damage to public trust by being dragged into establishing tax collection mechanisms for wholly illegal activities like these gambling operations, which have long been conducted on digital platforms in our country.»
«I believe it is reasonable for the state, using the full force of the law, to confront these illegal economic activities. The state and its agencies cannot appear to be covering up or, worse, subordinated to the money power of these betting houses that commit crimes while operating outside the law,» concluded Senator Velásquez.
La entrada Senator Velásquez (FRVS) Criticizes Taxation of Illegal Betting Houses as Another Form of Money Laundering se publicó primero en El Ciudadano.
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