Coljuegos launches mandatory RIC registry to trace slot-machine imports and curb illegal devices in Colombia

From 2026, electronic slot machines must be registered before entering the country, with importers given 45 days to enroll and a new requirement to report each machine’s destination after customs clearance.

Colombia’s gambling regulator Coljuegos has created a new compliance gate for the supply chain of electronic slot machines, rolling out the Registro Único de Importadores y Comercializadores (RIC) as a mandatory registry to control the import and sale of máquinas electrónicas tragamonedas (METS) and related gaming elements.

Coljuegos says that starting in 2026, slot machines will need to be registered before importation so authorities can track where devices end up and prevent diversion to unauthorized, illegal operations. The regulator links the move directly to protecting public funds, noting that illegal machines undermine the sector’s contributions earmarked for health financing.

Under the implementation timetable referenced by Coljuegos, importers and marketers have 45 calendar days to register in the RIC (counted from the publication of Resolution No. 20260001234 of 26 January 2026). After the goods are cleared, importers must also report the destination of each imported machine or component within 10 days, in a process Coljuegos says will be coordinated with Colombia’s tax and customs authority DIAN.

Coljuegos argues the scale justifies tighter controls: it cited about 109,000 legal slot machines operating across more than 3,700 authorized venues, and said METS imports exceeded $22.5 million in 2024. In parallel, it pointed to 2025 figures where “localized games” transfers to the subsidized health system reached COP 378,268 million, representing 39% of sector collections.