🇨🇴Colombia gambling regulation

Legal framework at a glance

The Colombian Constitution treats games of chance as a state “rentier monopoly” whose proceeds fund public health. Law 643 of 2001 sets the rules for that monopoly, and later legislation, including Law 1753 of 2015, provided for online games. The state exercises the monopoly by granting concession contracts to private operators, which in practice functions as an open licensing system.

Colombia became Latin America’s first regulated online market when Coljuegos authorised its first online operator in 2017. Since then a substantial number of operators have been licensed.

The regulator

Coljuegos, a state-owned commercial enterprise attached to the Ministry of Finance, was created in 2012. It awards and supervises concession contracts for online gaming, land-based casinos, slot halls and nationally operated games, collects exploitation rights and acts against illegal gambling. Departmental lotteries are run by regional bodies under a separate part of the monopoly regime.

Licensing

Online operators sign concession contracts with Coljuegos, usually for five years. Requirements include minimum equity, guarantees, certified gaming systems and integration with Coljuegos’ monitoring systems. Contracts can be renewed subject to compliance. See how to obtain a gambling licence.

Online products — what is and isn’t legal

Product	Status
Online casino	Licensed via concession
Sports betting	Licensed via concession
Online poker	Licensed via concession
Lotteries	Departmental lotteries and nationally run games

Taxation

Online operators pay exploitation rights of 15% of net gaming revenue to Coljuegos, plus administrative fees and ordinary corporate taxes. In February 2025, under a state of internal unrest declared over the Catatumbo crisis, the government imposed 19% VAT on deposits into online gambling accounts. When that measure expired, an economic emergency decree in late December 2025 moved the 19% VAT to gross gaming revenue for 2026. The Constitutional Court provisionally suspended the emergency in January 2026 and in April 2026 declared the relevant decree unconstitutional, ordering refunds to taxpayers who prove they bore the VAT. Readers should check the current position with a tax adviser. See gambling taxation compared.

Advertising and marketing rules

Licensed operators may advertise, including through sports sponsorship, but advertising must not target minors, must include responsible gaming messages and must not be misleading. Unlicensed operators are prohibited from advertising, and Coljuegos has acted against promotion of illegal sites, including by influencers. Several bills to restrict gambling ads further have been filed in Congress. See gambling advertising rules.

Player-protection requirements

Operators must verify players’ identity and age, keep player funds secure, offer deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion, and display responsible gaming information. Coljuegos has issued responsible gaming guidelines, though there is no national self-exclusion register. See self-exclusion in Colombia.

Enforcement against unlicensed operators

Coljuegos orders internet providers to block illegal gambling domains and has blocked many thousands of sites since 2017, while also working with payment providers and social media platforms to remove illegal offers. Illegal sites nevertheless remain a significant share of the market. See payment blocking and ISP blocking.

What this means for players

Players in Colombia should check that an online operator appears on Coljuegos’ list of authorised sites before opening an account. Licensed operators must verify identity using your cédula, keep player funds secure and follow Coljuegos rules on fair play and responsible gaming, and you can complain to Coljuegos if a dispute is not resolved. Illegal sites, which often reach players through social media and messaging apps, are not bound by any of these protections and may refuse to pay out. Coljuegos also encourages the public to report illegal operators.

Because there is no shared self-exclusion register, people who want to stop should exclude from every licensed operator they use and combine this with device-level blocking and bank restrictions. Families worried about a young person can use parental controls and talk to the school. See how to check if a gambling site is licensed, gambling blocking software and young people and gambling.

Who does what

Body	Role
Coljuegos	Concessions for online and land-based gaming, exploitation rights, enforcement
Departmental lottery bodies	Regional lotteries
DIAN	National taxes, including VAT where applicable
Superintendencia Nacional de Salud	Oversight of health-sector use of gaming revenue

Recent developments and what to watch

• VAT: the Constitutional Court’s 2026 ruling removed the emergency VAT decree; further attempts to tax the sector through ordinary legislation are possible.
• Advertising: bills to restrict gambling advertising and protect minors continue to circulate in Congress.
• Illegal market: Coljuegos continues to expand site blocking and cooperation with payment providers.

For support services, see the Colombia help directory. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice.