Chilean Supreme Court ratifies the ruling against the ANFP for betting houses

The Supreme Court of Chili ratified this Thursday the ruling issued by the Court of Appeals of Santiago that declared inadmissible a protection appeal filed by the Professional Football Association (ANFP) on the mandate of the Ministry of Justice to cease its commercial ties with online betting houses.

The Third Chamber of the highest court confirmed the decision of the capital court that considered that the appeal presented by the governing body of Chilean soccer exceeds the matters that can be the subject of a protection appeal.

“(…) since the request made covers aspects that demonstrate that the appellant’s purpose is to challenge the application of a legal norm, and especially, taking into account what was recently resolved by the Supreme Court”, reads the opinion.

In the appeal, the ANFP alleged that government institutions did not have the authority to order the dissolution of ties.

“For this, neither the Ministry of Justice nor the Undersecretary have legal powers, nor do any administrative body or Superintendency in Chile,” read the document introduced in courts and the Court.

The decision, however, comes after the ANFP announced a week ago the end of the contract with the online betting house Betsson, which sponsors the First Division and First B championships of Chilean soccer.

An agreement that stipulated a disbursement of US$ 2.5 million for the first year and would reach US$ 8 million at the end of the third year.

The Ministry of Justice had warned, at the beginning of last September, the sports organization that it had to cut off its commercial relationship with these companies within a maximum period of 30 business days, as they were considered illegal.

These betting sites have been limited in their operation in Chile because they are foreign companies, whose domiciles are outside the country, and which are not covered by the regulations that govern this type of activity.