Regulatory
Coljuegos
Definition
Coljuegos is Colombia's national regulator of games of chance. Colombia was the first Latin American country to regulate online gambling, issuing its rules in 2016 and signing the first online concession contract in 2017.
Key takeaways
- Coljuegos is Colombia's national regulator of games of chance and oversees the country's licensed online market.
- Colombia issued online gambling rules in 2016 and signed its first online concession contract in 2017, the first such framework in Latin America.
- Operators contribute a share of gambling revenue to public health funding, and the framework is often cited as one of LatAm's more mature.
Why it matters
Coljuegos opened Colombia's regulated online market by issuing online gambling regulations in November 2016 and signing the first online concession contract in June 2017, making Colombia the first significant LatAm market with a clear licensed online framework. The licence requires substantial bond posting and includes mandatory contributions to public health funding, drawn directly from gambling revenue. The framework has been studied by other Latin American regulators considering market opening, including Brazil's SPA.
The Colombian market has grown steadily and now hosts most of the major international operators alongside local brands. For B2B suppliers and operators expanding into Latin America, Colombia is typically the first or second market entry alongside Brazil. Coljuegos has been an active regulator on responsible gambling and unlicensed market enforcement, and the model is often cited as one of LatAm's more mature regulatory frameworks.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What's distinctive about the Colombian licence framework?
The mandatory health-fund contribution is the most-cited feature, with a meaningful percentage of GGR directed to public health programmes. This was politically central to the licensing framework's passage and remains a distinctive element of the operator economics.
How does Coljuegos influence other LatAm regulators?
Brazil's SPA framework draws on multiple international references including Coljuegos. Peru, Argentina, and other LatAm regulators have studied the Colombian approach in framework design. The shared regional context (Spanish-speaking, similar payments environment, similar player base) makes Colombia a more directly relevant reference than European or US models.