Coljuegos has rolled out a series of temporary relief measures to assist land-based operators and concessionaires hit by the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck on August 10.
This initiative aims to facilitate the recovery of affected sales venues, gaming terminals, and promotional activities, while maintaining existing tax and fee duties.
Laid out in Resolution No. 20260019544, released last week, these relief measures specifically target land-based operators and their establishments. They also extend to sales points and equipment that have experienced tangible damage from the earthquake.
Coljuegos clarified that operators experiencing purely revenue declines will not qualify for this relief. Eligibility will hinge on thorough verification and continuous oversight by the regulator.
In a move to ensure operational continuity, affected operators will be allowed to request rapid transfers of gaming equipment from damaged locations to other authorized sites. Furthermore, premises that have suffered significant damage from the earthquake may temporarily be classified as "zero premises" without forfeiting their operational status.
Operators will have a four-month period, which can be extended once, to replace or restore the necessary gaming equipment, and Coljuegos will expedite authorizations for new sites where original premises have been destroyed. The approval processes for replacement gaming equipment are being simplified to facilitate this support.
The land-based gambling sector is crucial to Colombia’s economy. In the previous year, casino and bingo operators contributed COP378.3 billion ($104.8 million) to the country's healthcare system.
Additionally, there are specific provisions in place for national lotteries and number games following the earthquake.
For Baloto operators, verified unavailability of points and terminals can be temporarily excluded from certain performance indicators. They may also request rescheduling for visits, tests, replacements, and deployment deadlines in affected regions, with the possibility of consolidated reporting allowed post-event.
Licensees for Super Astro can have documented terminal outages acknowledged for the time impacted and may submit regularized data later, while also adhering to adjusted repair and reactivation schedules. For KENO, there will be modified timelines for deployment, testing, and acceptance, as well as temporary exclusions for affected points.
In contrast, online gaming operators must generally comply with existing transmission, reporting, declaration, settlement, and payment timelines due to centrally managed systems. Nevertheless, Coljuegos will evaluate requests for case-by-case relief if operators demonstrate a direct and material inability to meet these requirements due to disruptions caused by the earthquake.
To uphold consumer rights and ensure business continuity, Coljuegos will prioritize adjustments to draw dates, locations, marketing periods, and operational protocols for raffles and promotional games.
Importantly, Coljuegos emphasized that these relief measures do not include any waivers regarding fees or taxes.
Recently, the outgoing Colombian president presented a tax reform bill to Congress, proposing a permanent 19% VAT on online gambling operators. This VAT was first introduced temporarily in February 2025, as the government sought additional funds to address civil unrest in the Catatumbo area. Earlier efforts to make this tax permanent in December were rejected, with the government attempting to reintroduce it in the current budget.
