Sports Betting Laws in Colombia: What You Need to Know

Decree 175 of 2025, which introduced a 19% VAT on online gaming deposits, continues to dominate the sector’s fiscal agenda. Despite the negative impact observed on the online channel, evidenced by the decline in collections throughout 2025, the tax reform bill proposed by the government for 2026 maintains the levy. The above reflects the government’s stance to maintain the 19% VAT and broaden its scope.

As it negotiates economic difficulties and regulatory changes, the next few months will be vital for the Colombian gambling sector. Still set for continuous expansion and good effect on the country’s economy is the industry, thoughwith openness, adherence, and cooperationdefines the industry. Fecoljuegos restated its will to closely cooperate with officials to improve control measures, transparency, and regulatory structures. These initiatives seek to confirm the importance of the gaming industry as a major driver of Colombia’s social and economic progress.

Colombia Betting Sites

An initiative we launched with the goal to create a global self-exclusion system, which will allow vulnerable players to block their access to all online gambling opportunities. Free professional educational courses for online casino employees aimed at industry best practices, improving player experience, and fair approach to gambling. Additionally, winnings from gambling activities are subject to a 20% withholding tax, which is automatically deducted by the operator before the payout. Acquiring a Coljuegos license in Colombia involves significant initial costs aimed at ensuring operators are financially capable and committed to maintaining a compliant and secure gambling environment.

An individual’s Facebook profile is included – but only the mobile page hosted on m.facebook.com, not the regular profile on FB’s main site. Could several Machiavellian affiliates have “reported” their own landing pages as violations of the law in order to place themselves on the blacklist and thus increase their marketing exposure? The overall composition of the list suggests that the Colombian authorities have about as much experience with combatting internet gambling as you would expect any out-of-touch, desk-bound bureaucrats to possess. PokerStars, the largest online poker site for real money in the world, has announced its departure from the Latin American nation of Colombia effective Monday, July 17.

This openness has been a major factor in makingColombia one of the most stable markets for online gaming in the world and particularly in Latin America. Visitors of SuperCasinoSites should keep in mind gambling can be highly addictive and as such, should always be approached responsibly and with due measure. If you or someone you know struggles with gambling addiction, we recommend you contact the free gambling helplines like those operated by organizations like The adoption of the SAGRILAFT approach will entail increased operational and reporting obligations for operators, particularly concerning the documentation of internal controls and the supervision of third parties and suppliers. Nevertheless, the critical issue lies in the transfer of data from existing systems, and, given that as of October no drafts have yet been published, it is likely that the regulatory agenda will be postponed until the second half of 2026. The regulation also fails to demonstrate effective coordination with the Office of the Attorney General, nor does it establish joint procedural mechanisms, raising concerns about compliance with due process guarantees in ongoing investigations.

Regarding land-based operations, VAT applies in accordance with the explanation provided later in this document. Contractual fines and the penalty clause are enforced by means of the contractual procedure contained in Article 86 of Law 1474 of 2011. Sanctions regarding exploitation rights are enforced by means of the punitive administrative procedure contained in the Administrative Code (Law 1437 of 2011). When an operator does not declare the exploitation rights in the respective period, a sanction equivalent to 200% of the exploitation rights caused by the undeclared period will be imposed. Breaching the investment cap of the Advertising Resolution will result in a fine equivalent to 1.5% of the value of the concession contract. Other general marketing and advertising regulations in Colombia, in addition to the prohibition involving minors and false expectations, state that marketing activities cannot offend any religion and cannot go against good customs/manners.

A full-service game development company offering innovative solutions for creating engaging casino and betting games. Hire skilled casino game developers to create engaging, high-quality casino games like slots, poker, and blackjack that captivate players. The planned changes will require gambling companies to submit detailed annual reports summarizing the actions taken, compliance indicators, and outcomes. Coljuegos president Marco Emilio Hincapié was optimistic that these new, rigorous, responsible gaming controls would have a measurable impact. Coljuegos has also allowed the online operators to promote and sell other novelty games through the operator’s platform, as a sales channel  intermediary) of the authorised operators of those other products. With this measure, Coljuegos has promoted a solidarity approach using less impacted sectors as online, to pull up the sales of most impacted ones.

5 Technical Measures

The federation welcomes every interested party to participate in a fact-based, evidence-based dialogue that promotes stability and viable development. Keeping the industry running and its continuous contributions to the economy of Colombia calls for fundamental public-private sector cooperation as the sector changes. Repeating its promise to open discussion with government and business partners, the Colombian Federation of Gaming Entrepreneurs (Fecoljuegos) calls for an informed and respectful debate on the state of the gambling sector in Colombia. Online casino operators must also pay a 15% gaming tax if they ensure an RTP of 83% of total stakes. Wes Burns has more than a decade’s worth of experience as a writer, researcher, and analyst in the legal online betting industry and is co-founder of OnlineBettingSites.com.

• Remote gaming operators must offer a self-exclusion feature and prompt customers to set daily, weekly, and monthly deposit limits during registration.
• Colombia’s national football team is ranked 17th in the FIFA World Rankings, though if there were rankings for enthusiasm, Colombians would undoubtedly be in the top ten.
• Its primary responsibilities include issuing licenses, overseeing operator compliance, and implementing comprehensive online and land-based gambling regulations.
• In March, Coljuegos released a list of more than 300 online gambling domains that it determined were serving Colombians in contravention of the law.

As mentioned earlier, VAT applies to any game of chance authorised in Colombia, except for internet-operated games and regional lotteries. Exploitation rights are levied on all national and regional games, and the amounts collected from them go to the health and pension system rather than to the Tax Authority. Additionally, the majority of gambling activities – both national and regional – are charged with VAT. Commercial establishments and goods involved in the illegal operation of games of chance can be the subject of expired ownership processes. The illegal operation of games of chance is a crime that is penalised with between six and eight years in prison and with disqualification from operating games of chance for up to five years. When operators omit or include information in their private liquidation of the exploitation rights that leads to payment of a lower value, a penalty for inaccuracy equivalent to 160% will be imposed.

Here are the top incentives for iGaming operators considering entry and access to the Colombian gambling market. Specialized company for developing betting apps with a focus on seamless UX/UI, high performance, and regulatory compliance. Custom mobile apps for sports betting with real-time updates, live odds, and smooth user experiences. Game development services offer end-to-end solutions for creating engaging, high-quality games across platforms. No, the limitation stated in the regulation is that operators must be Colombian nationals or legal residents of Colombia from other countries with national identification or special permits for Venezuelan nationals. At the beginning of 2020, Coljuegos estimated projected revenue for exploitation rights at COP$463.81bn (US$121m) for the year 2020.

Permanent betting, known as “chance”, is a game in which the player states the value of their bet manually or systematically on an official form and chooses a number of no more than four digits. If that number matches the result of the top prize of the lottery (or a game authorised for that purpose), the bettor wins a prize in money, in accordance with a predefined prize plan and as authorised by the national government by regulatory decree. The first license under the terms of this legislation was granted in June to Aquila Global Group, which runs WPlay.co, an online sportsbook based locally in Medellin.

This partnership ensures that online platforms are legally compliant and secure from a technical standpoint, maintaining a safe environment for operators and players. By integrating technological regulations with legal oversight, MinTIC and Coljuegos enhance the overall trustworthiness of Colombia’s online gambling market. Colombia offers competitive tax rates, with a general 17% Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) tax, which can be reduced to 15% if games provide at least an 83% Return to Player (RTP). The market is appealing due to its clarity, rapid growth driven by digital adoption, a large and engaged user base, and openness to foreign operators. Operators are required to meet specific application criteria, such as establishing a local company, managing player funds locally, and ensuring technical systems are certified. Having been granted a monopoly over all kinds of games from the government, the regulator (regional or national) grants concession contracts instead of licences, and collects exploitation rights (royalties) instead of gaming taxes.

This law appointed Coljuegos — the Colombian regulatory authority — as the primary body overseeing gambling activities. Colombia has a rich sporting culture, with soccer (football) being the most popular sport, followed by cycling, baseball, and basketball. With the increasing interest in sports and digital technology, online sports betting has become a major sector within the Colombian economy.

THE IMPACTColombia has been one of the hardest-hit countries in Latin America, with a total of 489,122 confirmed cases and 15,619 deaths as a result of Covid-19 as of August 17th, 2020. Before you register and play at any of the casinos we review and recommend, do check the legal and regulatory frameworks pertaining to real-money online gambling in your country to ensure you are not acting in violation with its laws. Figures from a 2019 survey suggest local gamblers tend to favor chance-based games, lotteries, sports betting, raffles, and bingo, although casino table games are also very popular in the country. Many locals are starting to transition to online gambling, as roughly 68% of Colombian gamblers place their wagers on the web. Compared to other South American countries, Colombia online casino curacao legal stands out for its comprehensive regulatory framework, which includes strict KYC and AML measures. This framework is on par with international standards, making Colombia an attractive proposition in the region, with a progressive approach that ensures a secure and transparent environment for both operators and players.

Consumers prefer a cash based, retail betting system whereby payments are made through land-based shops and used to top up online accounts. It is also recommended to check the operator’s website address ends in “.co”, as this is a requirement for all licensed domains. Alongside other taxes such as additional contributions from the oil and gas sectors, the Colombian government is hoping to raise COP1 trillion (£195.6 million/€234.3 million/$242 million) from the state of emergency tax. Although the initial attempt was quashed in December, in January this year the Colombian government implemented the tax on a temporary basis, with the 19% rate to run for an initial 90-day period. Applicants must prove that they comply with certain financial indicators that are defined by the resolution setting up the conditions and guarantees for applicants, with the requirement that Colombian domain names be ‘.co’ (‘.com’ sites are not allowed).