The Colombian gaming regulatory authority led a significant operation alongside the Attorney General's Office and the Army.
Colombia.- In a joint operation between the Attorney General's Office, the National Army's Gaula, and Coljuegos, a total of 1,000 items used for operating illegal betting in the municipalities of Sabanalarga, in the Atlántico department, and in Valledupar, in the Cesar department, were seized.
According to the authorities, the operation of these illegal items meant that the health system missed out on approximately COP17,000m (USD3.8m) annually in exploitation rights.
After the operation, Marco Emilio Hincapié, president of Coljuegos, declared: "We have dealt a significant blow to the illegals. Just last week, we carried out control actions in five departments, something never seen before in this entity. We are fulfilling the order of our president Gustavo Petro: to strengthen the industry, fight illegality, and increase resources for health."
During the control actions, the authorities conducted nine raids on properties where illegal betting houses operated. Additionally, seven people were prosecuted for the alleged commission of money laundering.
In the municipality of Sabanalarga, 841 items were seized that operated in a commercial establishment where bets were placed through pages not authorized by Coljuegos. Among the items removed were computers, keyboards, monitors, ticket printers, among others, valued at COP114m (USD25,800).
Meanwhile, in the municipality of Valledupar, 159 items were seized that were used to place illegal online bets. From this illicit operation, it is estimated that the health system missed out on approximately COP8.824m (USD2m) annually.
"All these seized items will enter an administrative process and, subsequently, will be destroyed by the entity. With this, we ensure that they do not re-enter operation and continue to defraud the health resources of Colombians," added the president of Coljuegos.
It is worth mentioning that, to date, the current administration of Coljuegos has seized about 4,500 slot machines and internet betting modules, and has destroyed around 8,317 illegal items.
See also: Responsible gaming in Colombia: a resolution from Coljuegos requires operators to protect players
During the VII International Congress Against Money Laundering held in the Dominican Republic in October, the president of Coljuegos, Marco Emilio Hincapié, presented to experts from Latin American countries the strategy to fight illegality in the Colombian industry, through which it has been possible to combat criminal structures that operate unauthorized bets.
The head of the Colombian gaming regulatory entity discussed the advances in the implementation of the Comprehensive System for the Prevention and Control of Money Laundering, the Financing of Terrorism, and the Financing of the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (SIPLAFT).
In his presentation, Hincapié said: "This year, the gambling sector will exceed COP1bn (USD229m) in transfers to the health system. That is why we are focusing our efforts on fighting illegality and corruption, and on strengthening the industry."
Among the results presented by the president of the entity are the destruction of 8,317 elements of games of chance that operated illegally in more than 15 departments of the country, and that failed to transfer around COP260,000m (USD59.2m) for health each year.
Also, Hincapié mentioned that, during 2024, the entity has seized 3,200 electronic slot machines, bingos, and internet betting modules that operated without authorization from Coljuegos.
Additionally, the entity transferred 366 criminal cases to the Attorney General's Office for investigation of those responsible for operating illegal games in Colombia.
On the other hand, it was recently known that, through the Management of Control to Illegal Operations, Coljuegos has opened 35 administrative sanctioning processes against influencers and companies that operate raffles and promotions through social networks without the respective authorization and without paying exploitation rights.
