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El Ciudadano

Original article: Puerta giratoria de las apuestas online en La Moneda: senadores llevan a Contraloría caso de exlobbista que hoy asesora a Segpres

Senators Take Action Against Ex-Lobbyist for Online Betting Advising at La Moneda Amid Conflict of Interest Concerns

The controversy regarding the transition of a former lobbyist for online betting houses to an advisory role in the General Secretariat of the Presidency (Segpres) has escalated to the Contraloría. Following investigations by Fast Check, it was revealed that Trinidad Sainz—the current legislative advisor—had previously met with industry representatives representing interests she had lobbied for just months prior. In response, three opposition senators formally requested the scrutiny of the oversight body and Minister José García Ruminot to investigate potential conflicts of interest and compliance with abstention duties.

Senators Diego Ibáñez (Frente Amplio), Ricardo Celis (PPD), and Gastón Saavedra (PS) have urged Controller Dorothy Pérez to issue a ruling determining whether Sainz’s role in the ongoing Online Casino Law compliance is lawful, considering her recent employment ties with the regulated entities.

Should any irregularities be found, the request also mandates “the initiation of disciplinary procedures or relevant administrative summaries.”

Simultaneously, the senators requested the Segpres for the contractual details and the wealth declaration of the official to clarify if the ministry enforced the abstention requirement.

The “recent ties” referred to in the documents are telling: between 2023 and 2025, Trinidad Sainz lobbied for the Chilean Association of Online Betting Platforms, which includes major players like Coolbet and Latamwin, in at least eight public hearings. Just five months after her last lobbying engagement, the political scientist took a position at La Moneda as a legislative advisor to the Segpres. In that role, she met with representatives from Jugabet, one of the country’s leading online casinos, to discuss the legislative project currently under consideration in Congress, as reported by Fast Check.

Senators Request Contraloría to Clarify Doubts About Conflict of Interest

The context of the case also highlights a trajectory characterized by the interchange between public power and private interests. Linked to UDI, Sainz is a political scientist from the Universidad del Desarrollo. Her initial role as a Segpres advisor occurred during Sebastián Piñera’s second administration, where she served for the entire four-year term before moving to the private sector, advising online betting platforms through the Con-Fluencia agency until the current government of José K.

The letter addressed to Minister García Ruminot explicitly warns of the risks posed by such practices: it requests “to clear any doubts about potential conflicts of interest within the legislative debate,” to prevent “individuals with recent ties to the lobbying industry from participating in the formulation of the regulations that will oversee it.”

The senators’ request is significant: they aim for the case to set a precedent that closes the revolving door between lobbying and the law-making processes driven by the Executive.

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