Chile: Superintendency of Gaming Casinos presented the National Responsible Gaming Strategy

The Plan, which was announced at the Responsible Gambling and Mental Health Seminar held in the city of Concepción, seeks to promote a culture of entertainment and care for people around games of chance.

The SCJ's initiative was announced in the framework of the Responsible Gaming and Mental Health Seminar that took place at the Universidad de Concepción. This is an initiative organized by the regulator in conjunction with the house of studies of the Biobío region that responds, precisely, to the emphasis and priority that the institution has given to the promotion of a culture of healthy entertainment in our country.

National Responsible Gaming Strategy

Although Law No. 19,995, which establishes the General Bases for the authorization, operation, and supervision of gambling casinos, has allowed the SCJ to address matters of self-exclusion, it does not provide the institution with all the tools to develop comprehensive responsible gaming policy. However, this has challenged the regulatory body, and in this context, it has assumed the challenge of moving forward and establishing a shared view with the different public and private actors on the subject, creating focused tools to address the negative externalities of gambling that include prevention actions.

The initiative covers three axes of strategic work: the first is to educate players, their families and society in general, the second is to inform about problematic and/or pathological behaviors with gambling and how to prevent them and, finally, encourage responsible gambling practices and the good design of a problem gambling prevention model.

“Currently there are no public mental health programs around pathological gambling whose prevalence rate would be around 2%. In addition, the Superintendency does not have powers regarding responsible gambling, so one of our objectives is to propose changes to the Casino Law and others, which include the protection of players and the recognition of pathological gambling as a health condition. mental health,” said Superintendent Vivien Villagrán.

The work will bring together organizations such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Women and Gender Equity, INJUV, SENAMA and SENDA; as well as the Chilean Association of Gaming Casinos, the Operating Companies that operate a casino license in our country, the Civil Society Council of the SCJ and the academy.

The Responsible Gaming and Mental Health Seminar featured a presentation by Vivien Villagrán, Superintendent of Gaming Casinos, as well as Sandra Conde, General Manager of Banca de Quinielas de Uruguay; Roberto Palermo, Chairman of the Board of Banca de Quinielas de Uruguay; Dr. Mario Valdivia, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Carlos Saavedra Rubilar, Rector of the University of Concepción.
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