A new Legality Pact was signed last week, with the aim of combating illegal gambling through joint actions between municipalities, departmental government, entities (such as Coljuegos) and authorities.
The president of Coljuegos, César Augusto Valencia, declared that this pact “implies a commitment to join efforts and reduce this illegal activity”, and explained that although it is difficult to determine precise numbers, “we are talking about about 30% of illegal gambling in Colombia”. .
The department’s governor, Roberto Jairo Jaramillo, highlighted the importance of the process and pointed out the importance of formal work for many of the people who are part of the companies dedicated to the activity. Jaramillo also added that “legality contributes to the economic dynamics of the department and, therefore, it is important to articulate”.
Illegal gaming operations in Colombia
Coljuegos and the National Police carried out investigations for the first time in the cities of Bogotá Suba, Ciudad Bolivar and Engativá, where they recovered US$1.54 million that had been obtained through illegal gambling operations.
In Montería, Córdoba, 50 electronic slot machines were confiscated at 15 outlets, while $319,000 in illegal gambling funds were also discovered.
According to Colombian law, every illegal electronic slot machine comes with a fine of $18,000. For other illegal gambling operations, the fine is set at US$72,000 for each establishment, point of sale, store and supplier.
About Coljuegos
The entity was created by Decree 4142, of November 3, 2011, as a decentralized company of the national order, linked to the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit. Thus, the entity started its operations on April 16, 2012.
Therefore, Coljuegos works to generate confidence in consumers in this segment and in Colombian society as a whole, ensuring even greater transparency to transfers to public health services.
In addition, the purpose of the agency is the exploration, administration, operation and issuance of regulations for the sector of games of chance that, by legal provision, are not assigned to another entity in Colombian territory.
