The market
Colombia was the first Latin American country to regulate online gambling, in 2016, and it remains the reference model: a single national licence from Coljuegos, open to any operator that qualifies. As of 2026 Coljuegos listed 15 platforms with active operating contracts. Online exploitation rights transferred to Coljuegos were around COP 317,977m (about USD 82m) in 2023, and by mid-2026 the year-to-date transfers had already passed COP 253bn, with full-year receipts expected to exceed COP 450bn, showing steady growth in the taxed base.
The market carries casino and sports betting under the same online concession framework. The local payment rail is PSE plus cash-voucher networks, and operators such as Wplay, Betplay and Colbet lead a field that is more consolidated than Brazil’s. Channelisation is relatively high by regional standards because the regime is long-established, but a new VAT has strained economics since early 2025.
Regulation and licensing
The regulator is Coljuegos, adscrito to the Ministerio de Hacienda, operating under the Ley 643/2001 monopoly-and-concession model. An operator signs a concession contract with a public number and a fixed term, and must incorporate a Colombian company, meet technical certification (RNG, encryption), post bank guarantees and run responsible-gambling tools. The core levy is the derechos de explotación of 15% of GGR, which funds the subsidised health system, plus 1% for administration.
The VAT story is the moving part. Decreto 175/2025 imposed 19% VAT on player deposits from February 2025 to 31 December 2025, as an emergency measure tied to the Catatumbo crisis. Decreto 1474/2025 re-imposed the 19% VAT for 2026 but shifted the base from deposits to GGR. Crucially, in December 2025 the Senate’s Fourth Commission rejected the government’s finance bill that would have made the VAT permanent, on a 9-to-4 vote, so the 19% currently rests on emergency decrees rather than permanent statute. A new tax reform re-proposing the VAT was filed in July 2026.
Marketing and player rules
Advertising is allowed but capped: total advertising spend may not exceed 20% of the BCIP, a base calculated as GGR minus the exploitation and administration rights. Responsible-gambling and consumer-protection rules apply, and only Coljuegos-licensed operators may advertise. Age limit is 18. The heaviest player-facing cost is the 19% VAT, which through 2025 was charged on deposits and reduced the amount available to bet; from 2026 it applies on the GGR base instead.
What this means for your plan
Colombia is where I would send an operator that wants one clean national licence and a working regulator, and it is a stronger entry than Argentina or Chile right now. The catch is the VAT: model it in, because even on a GGR base the combined 15% exploitation right plus 19% VAT is a heavy stack. I would watch the 2026 tax reform closely, because whether the VAT becomes permanent is the single biggest variable in the P&L. First move is the concession application and the Colombian entity.
Sources
- Coljuegos, MrYoker, el nuevo operador en línea autorizado, checked 5 September 2026
- Función Pública, Decreto 175 de 2025 (texto), checked 5 September 2026
- PGP Legal, Decreto Legislativo 1474 de 2025 (19% VAT on GGR for 2026), checked 5 September 2026
- Olarte Moure, advertising cap on the BCIP base, checked 5 September 2026