Chile’s Supreme Court Orders Enhanced Blocking of Gambling Mirror Sites

(AsiaGameHub) –   Chile’s Supreme Court has mandated that telecommunications providers must block access not only to primary gambling websites but also to their secondary or mirror sites. This directive significantly enhances the government’s campaign to eradicate illegal online gambling within Chile.

Previously, a ruling from the Santiago Court of Appeals had determined that telecommunications companies had fulfilled their obligations by successfully blocking access to the main domains of gambling operators.

The legal action that initiated this case aimed to compel major telecommunications firms, including Claro, Entel, GTD, Movistar, WOM, and VTR, to prohibit access to gambling websites deemed illegal in Chile.

While the telecommunications companies did block access to the primary URLs, they argued that blocking secondary websites would present technical difficulties and could potentially disrupt other internet services. The Court of Appeals accepted this argument, upholding its decision to enforce orders only against primary domains and subsequently closing the case.

The Supreme Court disagreed with the Court of Appeals’ reasoning. It concluded that the enforcement of previous rulings had been insufficient, leading to the continued availability of unauthorized gambling activities due to an incomplete implementation of the original orders.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court identified another flaw in the Court of Appeals’ ruling: the lower court had stated that enforcing the orders would be impractical while simultaneously declaring the matter closed and resolved.

In a significant development, the Supreme Court upheld a complaint against the appellate judges, citing “serious fault or abuse” in their handling of the case. This action highlights the court’s firm stance on ensuring effective enforcement concerning unauthorized digital activities.

The case has now been returned to the Court of Appeals for review, with specific instructions to guarantee complete adherence to blocking measures.

Under the revised directive, telecommunications companies are now required to:

• Identify and block mirror and alternative domains utilized by gambling platforms.
• Ensure that restrictions extend beyond primary URLs.
• Implement more robust technical measures to prevent circumvention.

Broader Implications

By ordering the blocking of both primary and mirror gambling sites, Chile’s Supreme Court has established a new benchmark for digital enforcement. This decision signifies a move towards more stringent oversight and indicates that partial compliance will no longer be deemed adequate in addressing unauthorized online gambling.