Colombia's government removed the VAT exemption for online gambling under a decree issued during the state of internal commotion in Catatumbo. The measure applies a 19% rate to user deposits; Fecoljuegos said the sector's total tax burden could reach 70.5% and called for a gradual transition plan.
Operators must adapt deposit charging and billing systems within the five working days cited in the decree, according to Fecoljuegos.
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Colombia’s Constitutional Court reaffirmed that President Gustavo Petro’s government cannot impose tax changes through emergency decrees without congressional authorisation. The ruling leaves the proposed 19% VAT on online gambling unable to proceed through that route, while Congress is considering proposals for a 16% charge using different collection mechanisms.
Colombia’s Constitutional Court has suspended an emergency economic decree that included a proposed 19% VAT on iGaming gross gaming revenue for local and foreign operators. The provisions remain on hold pending a full review, and the suspension is not a final ruling; President Gustavo Petro defended the decree.
Colombia’s government filed Bill 477 of 2026 with Congress on 29 October, proposing 19% VAT on gambling operations, including online betting. The proposal exempts traditional lotteries and sets different tax bases by game type; the government aims to raise about COP40bn (US$12.6m) and curb public debt growth.
Colombia's government filed Bill 477 of 2026 with Congress on 29 October, proposing a 19% VAT on the circulation, sale or operation of games of chance, including online betting. The bill, part of the government's Ley de Rescate Económico, was presented by vice-president José Manuel Restrepo, finance minister Miguel Gómez and acting justice and interior minister Iván Cancino. It must now be debated by Congress, where legislators may amend the gaming articles and the rest of the tax measures.
Colombia's finance minister Germán Ávila said the government would apply a 19% VAT rate to gambling under decrees issued during an economic emergency, effective 1 January 2026. The stated tax base takes account of prizes awarded; the measures follow the Senate committee's rejection of a tax reform proposal that included higher taxes on online betting sites.
Fecoljuegos is preparing a technical proposal on Colombia’s proposed Economic Rescue Bill, which the government presented on 29 October. President Evert Montero said the bill needs further study and argued that online betting and land-based gambling should face differentiated tax treatment.
The Colombian Federation of Gaming Entrepreneurs, known as Fecoljuegos, is working on a technical proposal that examines the Economic Rescue Bill the government presented on October 29. Fecoljuegos president Evert Montero said the proposal calls for deeper study before it moves forward in the legislative process.