Chile

Population

The country has a population of over 19 million people. 85% are urban dwellers.

At the beginning of 2024, Chile's population had the following age distribution:

• 68.1% are people between 15 and 65 years old
• 22.3 per cent were under 15 years of age
• 9.6 per cent were over 64 years of age

The average age is 34 years.

The average life expectancy for men is 80 years and for women 83 years.

The overall literacy rate (ability to read and write in a language) among the adult population (over 15 years of age) is 97.3 per cent and among the young population (15 to 24 years of age) is 99.34 per cent.

The nation was formed as a result of a mixture of Amerindian peoples and immigrants from Europe, mainly from Spain. Ethnic composition of the country: natives of European countries (Spaniards, Italians, Germans and Croats) - about 35 per cent, mestizos - about 60 per cent, Indians - about 4 per cent.

Language: the official language is Spanish. Also the predominant number of urban residents speak English.

About 200 thousand citizens of Chile are descendants of German emigrants, therefore about 30 thousand people speak German here.

Religion: 90 per cent of Chileans belong to two main currents of Christian religion - Catholicism (70 per cent) and Protestantism (20 per cent). About 8% profess atheism, 2% - Islam, Judaism and local beliefs.

Major cities: Santiago (capital), Puente Alto, Antofagasta, Viña del Mar, San Bernardo.

Currency: Chilean peso (CLP). 100 CLP = $0.10.

Financial capacity

The poverty rate, with residents earning about $6.85 per day, and income inequality is expected to be 5% in 2024. In 2022, the rate is 6.5% and in 2020, the rate is 9.9%.

Average wages range from $800, with minimum wages starting at $500.

Chile's unemployment rate decreased to 8.74% in September 2024 from 8.90% in August 2024.

The unemployment rate for women is 9.2% and 8.4% for men.

Mentality

Solidarity is the most striking trait common to all Chileans. Many residents are ready to help a stranger in a difficult situation.

Such participation and concern is explained by the fact that the country is located in not the most geographically convenient place: the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’ runs through the entire territory of the state - the area around the perimeter of the Pacific Ocean, where most active volcanoes are concentrated and earthquakes often occur. A third of the 46 recorded earthquakes since 1500 have occurred in Chile.

Like any other Latin Americans, Chileans are easily inspired and often make a decision on emotion. They talk more than listen, eager to demonstrate their knowledge in a particular field.

Purple and black are considered mourning colours.

It is not customary here to talk about having a bad day, or to display a negative attitude and negative emotions.

Many Chileans have not left the country, as they are great patriots of their homeland.

Chile has a policy of gender equality, so humiliation of one of the sexes is not welcomed.

Status of gambling

Until 1990, the only type of gambling allowed in Chile was betting on horse races. Therefore, this betting format is still popular today.

Then in 2008, a law was passed allowing Chileans to participate in online lotteries and make some online sports betting.

Today, online lotteries, online horse racing betting and online betting are legal in the country, controlled by three state-owned companies:

1. Loteria Concepcion - lottery
2. Polla Chilena - sports betting
3. Teletrak Chile - horse racing

Authorities started talking about legalising iGaming in 2022 and a bill to regulate internet gambling was passed at the end of 2023. Despite this, some officials opposed the legalisation of the industry, arguing that iGaming could have a negative impact on legal offline casinos.

In 2024, the Ministry of Finance and the HAVA Gaming Agency Authority submitted the final approved bill to the Committee on the Economy. It was predicted that the document would be approved by the end of the summer and a temporary system for regulating the industry would be in place by November this year. However, that has not happened. At present, the future of the bill remains uncertain.

But what is known is that the cost of the licence is expected to be just over $74k. Operators will also have to pay 20% of gross gaming revenue (GGR), 19% value added tax, 2% to support Chilean sport and 1% for responsible gaming programmes. Criminal penalties will be introduced for offshore operators who continue to accept players from Chile.

Volume of the iGaming market

Chilean activity on illegal gambling platforms is predicted to grow by at least 10% annually.

Online casino revenues amount to $170 million per year, while online betting revenues have already reached $200 million per year.

An annual report released by Chile's Mobile App Developers Association shows that over 70% of mobile device users in the country have installed at least one online casino app on their gadgets.

To date, the number of players in the country stands at over 7 million.

iGaming is particularly popular among young people between the ages of 20 and 25. On average, those who play online spend 7 hours a week on it, while those who follow casino streamers on Twitch or YouTube allocate about 6 hours a week to it.

Internet accessibility

According to Chile's Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications, 95% of Chile's residents have access to the internet.

In 2023, the percentage of the population with mobile internet access is 96%.

The average speed of a wireless connection via Wi-Fi is 279.14 Mbps. The average speed of mobile internet connection is 43.73 Mbps.

Chile is the first country in the world to pass a law in 2010 to respect the principles of net neutrality and free access to all resources. This means that internet service providers are prohibited from restricting users from accessing content, web applications and services.

The volume of device usage:

• mobile - 81.8 per cent
• desktop - 15.5%
• tablet - 2.7%

Popular web applications: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Threads.

Number of active users between July and September 2024:

• Facebook - 9.7 million
• Instagram - 8.1 million
• TikTok - 7.1 million
• Twitter - 2.1 million
• Threads (microblogging service inside Instagram) - 1.2 million

Player preferences

Chileans predominantly prefer to bet on various sporting events and horse racing.

Both men and women participate in online betting, but male representatives do it almost twice as often (56%) compared to women (36%).

The most popular football tournaments in the country are the local Football Championship, the Spanish La Liga and the Libertadores Cup (a football competition among the best clubs in South America).

Recently there has been an increase in interest in gambling, especially slots. Blackjack, roulette and bingo can also be emphasised.