Colombia: Games of chance contribute over $185M to the health sector in the first half of 2024

Coljuegos, the Colombian gaming regulator, reported that the games of chance authorized at a national and territorial level contributed a total of COP 752,917 million to the health system, an amount equivalent to $187.6 million, during the first semester of 2024.

In a statement, the regulator highlighted that this figure represents an increase of 4% concerning the transfers made in the same period of 2023.

Of the total resources, COP 188,834 million ($47.1 million) came from online betting; COP 173,509 million ($43.2 million) from localized games; COP 68,430 million ($17.1 million) from the Super Astro; and COP 28,556 million ($7.1 million) from the Baloto in all its modalities. 

Likewise, regarding territorial games, the regulator detailed that chance bets contributed COP 154,699 million ($38.6 million); lotteries, COP 116,294 million ($29 million); and scratch cards, COP 19,481 million ($4.9 million). 

Coljuegos reminded that the entities receiving the transfers made are the local and departmental health funds, the Administrator of the Resources of the General System of Social Security in Health (ADRES), the National Pension Fund of the Territorial Entities (FONPET) and the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Marco Emilio Hincapié

The President of Coljuegos, Marco Emilio Hincapié, said that if the Capitation Payment Unit is considered at the national level, the resources contributed by the industry have made it possible to subsidize the medical care of more than 580,000 Colombians.

"Thanks to our efforts to innovate the industry and combat illegality, health transfers continue to grow at the national and territorial levels. We hope that, by the end of the year, we will be able to exceed COP 1.5 trillion in resources collected for the subsidized regime," he said.

In line with this, he said that in the last year, it was possible to "modernize and strengthen the entity to continue increasing collections". "We are about to grant a concession for Keno, through which we expect to increase annual transfers by close to COP 75,000 million," he estimated.

"To all this, we must add that we are fighting illegality in a way never seen before. We have seized and destroyed close to 7,000 elements of illegal games of chance throughout the country, and we are joining efforts to continue protecting health resources in the regions," Hincapié concluded.