Colombia strengthens efforts to tackle over 26K illegal gambling platforms

Colombia’s gaming regulator, Coljuegos, announced that it will now send direct blocking requests to Internet Service Providers (ISPs) for websites operating without paying the required gaming fees.

The measure follows the issuance of Circular 017 of 2025 by the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC), which outlines the procedures for blocking unauthorized websites that offer, sell, process payments for, or advertise games of chance.

Marco Emilio Hincapié, President of Coljuegos, emphasized the importance of the initiative: “Under the Government of Change, we are working in a coordinated manner to protect the legal gambling industry. Following several joint working sessions with MinTIC, we have succeeded in streamlining the process for blocking illegal betting websites.”

To date, Coljuegos has issued around 26,600 blocking orders against unauthorized gambling platforms. With the new procedure in place, Hincapié noted, the process will become significantly faster: “We no longer need to go through multiple agencies. We can now issue blocking orders directly to internet providers.”

This enforcement action stems from Decree 0175 of 2025, which introduced tax measures in response to the state of internal emergency declared by the national government.

Hincapié concluded: “Beyond targeting illegal operators, our goal is to safeguard funding for peace and health initiatives, and to provide better protection and support for the country’s 14 licensed gambling operators.”