TRAFFIC
Juegos Casino (www.juegos-casino.org): casino traffic in Colombia colleagues from other Latin American
nations on regulatory issues.
There is good reason to be optimistic
and think that this cooperation might
result in for a more standardised (and
simplified) approach to regulation across
the entire region, though operators
should be watchful in case new regulation
affects their operations or ability to enter
the market.
Betsson: casino traffic in Colombia The future view
Casino Games 77: casino traffic in Colombia
Regulations in Colombia
In contrast to Brazil, there are fewer
official restrictions on betting and gaming
in Colombia.
According to Frixo, there are no laws
to deter Colombians from betting at
virtual casinos and online bookies –
at present approximately 462 offshore
sportsbooks accept Colombian players,
including at least 92 with Spanish-
language site support.
Increasingly European in its approach
to gambling regulatory approaches, games
are largely taxed according to a 2015 law
that places gambling activities under the
definition of ‘novelty games’.
While sports betting is legal in Colombia,
it is currently operated entirely by Intralot
which won the associated government
tender. However, the company does not
offer online sports betting – meaning that
there is no completely legal way to bet on
sports online through a domestic company.
However, with licensing procedures
and technical standards in place, there
is increasing scope for operators to be
recognised as official, in contrast to the
slightly ambiguous nature of the industry
in Brazil, and there are no practical
restrictions on Colombian players
betting on international sites.
Though there is much to be optimistic
about in terms of the growth of the sector,
Colombian regulators stated at the 2017
Ibero-American Gaming Summit that
they will aim to work more closely with
While Brazil looks to open up more
significantly in the near future, some
commentators are cautious about a
potential increase in regulation in
Colombia. Official regulator Coljuegos
recently delivered a blacklist of 325
online gambling sites to the Ministry
of Information and Communications
Technology, requesting that associated
ISPs be blocked from Colombians trying
to access them.
However, as ever, money matters and the
tax windfall potential for Latin American
governments which properly embrace
the industry is compelling. For operators,
the time to prepare is now, as massive
audiences of potential players with a clear
passion for gaming already exist.
The combination of technological reach
and a more tailored customer experience,
meeting the needs, passions and
expectations of Latin American audiences,
will lead to great results for the companies
which are prepared to compete – and win
– in this most exciting of markets.
MARTIN CALVERT is
marketing director at
Blueclaw, a betting and
gaming-focused SEO,
content marketing, PPC and
social PR agency. Martin heads
up Blueclaw’s internal marketing team
and performs a strategic role on behalf
of a number of key clients.
iGB Affiliate Issue 63 JUN/JUL 2017
35