A major investigation in Chile has discovered 910 public officials who played casino games even though the law clearly banned them. Such revelation was provided by a report of the Contraloría General de la República (CGR) titled ‘Twentieth Consolidated Circularized Information Report’.
The incident came to light when authorities conducted a cross-check of public servants’ records provided by Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego, whose public servants in charge of handling or safeguarding public funds must be casino gambling data This cross-check ultimately unveiled gambling conduct which is prohibited by the national law.
The report indicated that during January 2024 until June 2025, these officials had made bets totaling over 11.49 billion Chilean pesos. The legal provisions of Chile are very explicit on this matter.
Under Law 19.995, Article 10 (B):
Those who, due to their position, are responsible for the administration or custody of public funds may not, either directly or through third parties, under any circumstances, engage in any form of betting in games of chance conducted in casinos.
The reasoning behind the restriction is also clearly outlined:
The reason for this prohibition is to safeguard collective resources and prevent those with such responsibilities from being exposed to environments that could compromise their duties.
Analysis also showed that the majority of the betting activities were carried out by a relatively small group. Out of the 910 officials tracked, 181 individuals accounted for 96.8% of the total bets, which amounted to over 11.118 billion pesos.
In addition, only 20 persons wagered a combined bet of 5.392 billion pesos. Among these high rollers was an officer of the Chilean Air Force who, it is believed, placed bets totaling 1.04 billion pesos. The large amount of this transaction has raised concerns that there could be some criminal elements involved, apart from mere administrative breaches that were detected.
The CGR stated:
The magnitude of bets placed by those individuals who account for the highest amount of bets indicates that crimes may have been committed.
In response, the authority has decided to delve deeper and has asked the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the State Defense Council their views on whether they should open criminal cases.
Also, 371 public bodies connected to the persons under investigation have been formally informed. Some of them are the national police, Air Force Treasury investigative police, and various city administrations.
The CGR instructed:
These entities must clarify all doubts regarding the behavior of those individuals who are under investigation and apply the corresponding sanctions, including dismissal.
In addition, the list of those 910 officials has also been forwarded to the Superintendencia de Casinos de Juego, thus enabling the regulator to carry out other supervisory or enforcement measures if it finds it necessary.
This incident is a spotlight on the challenge authorities encounter in imposing gambling prohibitions on public officials. Also, it can pose very significant effects on the public sector governance and accountability in Chile.
