Coljuegos installs committee to fight against illegal gambling
Since 2022, games that operate illegally in the Department of Atlántico have stopped paying for exploitation rights, costs that would’ve totaled over $115m.
The first inter-institutional committee to combat illegal gambling was held in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia, where authorities agreed to carry out joint actions in order to combat organizations that are dedicated to illegal betting in the Department of Atlántico.
Illegal games of luck and chance in the department stopped paying for exploitation rights in 2022. These costs would’ve totaled $47.6m in 2022, $51.1m in 2023 and so far in 2024, the total has reached an estimated $17.2m already.
“During the meeting, we reviewed the sale of games of luck and chance. The Atlántico chance concession is one of the largest in the country, which is why it generates significant sales of territorial games. Therefore, it is essential that we work to protect the resources that come from the sector,” Coljuegos President Marco Emilio Hincapié said.
Instead of the resources being given to sectors around the country such as health care, it is believed by the committee that the nearly $120m in unpaid fees has been put towards criminal structures.
“This committee was created in 2017, and today we are reactivating it with the purpose of strengthening the fight against illegal gambling. Annually, close to $51m is being lost in the Atlántico as a result of illegal gambling, which is detrimental to the health system,” Atlántico Government Advisor Armando de la Hoz said.
“For this reason, through this committee we seek to integrate with other institutions, in order to prosecute those who carry out this illicit activity, and to prevent this money from being used in the financing of criminal structures.”
The committee is composed of Coljuegos, the Government of Atlántico, the Department for Games of Luck and Chance, National Police, the Attorney General’s Office and the West Service Network.
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