Chile Shifts to Risk-Based AML Framework for Casinos Replacing 2014 Guidance
TL;DR — Chile’s UAF and SCJ updated AML rules for 25 casinos with a risk-based framework replacing 2014 guidance. Key changes include risk assessments, scaled due diligence, a Prevention Committee, and enhanced reporting, effective 1 October 2026. The move aligns casinos with broader standards and highlights joint regulatory inspections in 2025.
Chile’s financial intelligence and casino regulators have updated anti-money laundering requirements for the country’s casino sector. The Financial Analysis Unit (UAF) and Superintendence of Gaming Casinos (SCJ) issued a joint circular for the 25 licensed casinos that replaces 2014 guidance and aligns with the UAF’s Circular No. 62 applied to other reporting entities.
The revised rules adopt a risk-based approach. Casino operators and municipal concessionaires must integrate risk assessments into compliance policies and procedures. Customer due diligence scales to the risk each customer presents while suspicious transaction analysis and reporting receive enhanced requirements.
Internal controls are tightened through a mandatory Prevention Committee and expanded compliance officer duties. The circular also updates record-keeping, treatment of politically exposed persons, AML manuals, and staff training. It draws authority from Law No. 19,913 and Law No. 19,995.
As reported by G3 Newswire, Marcelo Contreras, Acting Director of the UAF, said the changes modernise a regulatory framework that had remained largely unchanged for more than 10 years. Contreras said the new circular introduces a risk-based approach consistent with international standards and demonstrates both regulators’ commitment to a robust AML and counter-terrorism financing regime.
Eduardo Cáceres, Acting Superintendent of the SCJ, said the revised rules reflect close cooperation between the agencies. Cáceres noted that more than half of the AML inspections carried out during 2025 were conducted jointly.
The joint circular takes effect on 1 October 2026.
Adopting Risk-Based AML Measures
The framework requires operators to embed risk assessments directly into policies rather than follow static rules unchanged for over a decade. Due diligence, monitoring, and reporting now calibrate to specific risks in the casino environment. The circular aligns casino compliance obligations with the broader standards introduced under the UAF’s Circular No. 62 for other reporting entities.
Path Ahead for Compliance Implementation
With the October deadline approaching, the joint 2025 inspection record signals coordinated oversight ahead. The changes mark a structural shift toward adaptive regulation capable of addressing evolving financial crime risks in Chile’s gaming market.
Reporting: G3 Newswire
Chile's 25 casinos face a complete AML overhaul by October 2026—static compliance is over, adaptive controls are now the standard.
We've guided operators through AML buildouts across Latin America, and this shift matters because Chile is replacing a decade-old checklist with dynamic risk assessment. For anyone operating or eyeing Chilean casinos, your compliance infrastructure just became a competitive lever—get it right or face coordinated inspections from two regulators working in lockstep.
- Risk-based due diligence replaces 2014 static rules; effective 1 October 2026
- Mandatory Prevention Committee and expanded compliance officer duties now required
- Joint UAF-SCJ inspections in 2025 signal coordinated enforcement ahead of deadline
SCCG angle: SCCG has partnered with compliance technology providers and regulatory advisors across regulated markets in Latin America. If you're facing this October 2026 deadline, we connect you to the specialized AML vendors and local counsel who've already implemented risk-based frameworks under similar UAF standards—so you're not rebuilding from scratch.