Colombia’s Congress has approved Bill 026, which recognises esports as a discipline and allows betting on esports competitions. Coljuegos president Marco Emilio Hincapié said the change would expand the regulated online gambling offer; the measure also allows esports to join the National Sports System.
The legislation provides a basis for Colombia’s regulated online gambling sector to offer esports betting.
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Coljuegos said Colombia’s Comptroller General awarded it a score of 4.93 out of 5 in audits covering 2024 and 2025. The regulator said its accounting opinion moved from qualified in 2024 to unqualified in 2025; its president also reported collections of COP1.06tn in 2025, compared with COP753bn in 2022.
Coljuegos said a raffle held by presidential candidate Santiago Botero in Bogotá on 16 April was unauthorised. The draw offered COP 25 million split among five winners; the regulator said raffles require prior approval and that cash prizes are generally prohibited, subject to exceptions.
Coljuegos president Marco Emilio Hincapié outlined measures to improve licensed gambling operators’ access to financial services during meetings with Colombia’s Financial Superintendent, according to the report. Plans include training bank compliance officers on gambling rules and closer cooperation to prevent illegal online gambling and the use of payment systems to support it.
Coljuegos and Colombia’s Financial Superintendence discussed ways to improve licensed gambling operators’ access to banking services. Coljuegos president Marco Emilio Hincapié said the authorities proposed a specialist meeting with bank compliance officers and cooperation to address payment channels used by unauthorised online gambling sites.
Coljuegos president Marco Emilio Hincapié said at GAT Expo 2026 that the regulator had transferred $3.6tn to Colombia’s subsidised health system since 2022. He said this represented 41.84% of sector resources generated since 2012; 2025 transfers totalled $1.1tn, while online operators contributed about $1.3tn in VAT.