The government of Putumayo has joined the fight against illegality in games of chance and gambling.
Colombia.- Coljuegos, the Government of Putumayo and the concessionaire Su Red signed a pact for legality aimed at pursuing unauthorized gaming activities and protecting the resources generated by the industry for the subsidized health regime.
In this regard, Marco Emilio Hincapié, president of Coljuegos, said: "This is the 36th pact for legality that we have signed in the country. More and more territorial entities and operators are joining this initiative to fight against illegal activities. Only by joining efforts can we strengthen the industry to continue increasing resources for health."
Between January and August of 2024, the territorial games of chance, lottery, and Raspa&Listo of Putumayo have transferred about COP542m (USD125,684) to the health system, which represents an increase of 11 percent compared to the same period in 2023.
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Furthermore, Coljuegos reported that the mentioned games have reported sales exceeding COP3,000m (USD718,197), with permanent bets having the greatest influence within the department of Putumayo.
In this sense, Carlos Andrés Marroquín, governor of Putumayo, declared: "We are committed to promoting legal betting in our department. This depends on our ability to increase the collection of resources for health and, thereby, improve the quality of life of the citizens."
On the other hand, it is important to highlight that in the department there are 16 operators of localized games authorized by Coljuegos, which have opened 35 establishments with 674 electronic slot machines.
As a result of this pact, Coljuegos and the National Police seized 149 illegal elements of games of chance and gambling operating in the municipality of Mocoa, and for which the State failed to collect about COP23.244m (USD5.5m) for health.
This agreement seeks to continue combating illegal gaming activities such as white chance, clandestine casinos, and sports betting on websites not authorized by Coljuegos.
The signing of the pact for legality was also attended by entities such as the Attorney General's Office, the Departmental Police of Putumayo, the Chamber of Commerce of Putumayo, among others.
The pacts for legality are a strategy led by Coljuegos through which it seeks to commit territorial entities to fight against illegal betting.
