Coljuegos signed a new project to combat illegal gambling in Tolima

"In 2023, we transferred usd 216 billion for health, and this year we aim to exceed usd 248 billion. From Coljuegos, we are making an enormous effort to provide guarantees to legal operators and to fight head-on against those who operate illegally," said Hincapié. He added: "Through this pact, we are trying to unify inter-institutional efforts to build legality. This is because, at the national level, we are losing close to usd 38 billion in resources because of illegality.

Similarly, the president stated that Coljuegos is requesting the National Criminal Policy Council to prioritise crimes related to games of chance, in order to ensure that there is a connection with other conducts such as illicit enrichment and conspiracy to commit a crime.

On his behalf, the manager of the Tolima Lottery, Alexander Castro, highlighted the entity's commitment to strengthen the gaming sector in the Department, with the objective of generating more resources to benefit the people of Tolima. "We have signed an agreement of wills with all the actors who have to do with games of chance, in order to wage a forceful fight against illegality. We are going to work with the objective of generating awareness in the citizens about the importance of playing in a legal and responsible way", said Castro.

The pacts for legality are an initiative led by Coljuegos that seeks to join forces between different public and private entities to raise awareness among citizens about the importance of playing in a legal and responsible manner.

Among the  signatories of the pact in Tolima are the governor in charge, Carlos Portela; Andrés Alejandro Tamayo, legal representative of Seapto S.A.; Colonel Fabio Ojeda, commander of the Tolima Departmental Police; and Nayibe Pérez, delegate of the Public Prosecutor's Office. "For us, as a concessionaire, this pact allows us to work on awareness, formalisation and prosecution. In Tolima, illegality can be close to $75 billion every five years. That is why, with these initiatives, what we seek is to generate more progress, development and more resources for the health of the people of Tolima," said Tamayo.

It is worth noting that during the year 2023, the Tolima Lottery transferred usd 1.65 million to the health system, and recorded sales totalling usd 6.34 million, which represented an increase of 23% over the year 2022. Likewise, during the past year, the game of chance in Tolima transferred close to usd 2.76 million in operating rights.

Therefore, the concessionaire Seapto SA consolidated itself as the fifth most important in the country, as it represents 4% of the permanent bets in Colombia. Of course, it is important to mention that the Scratch & Ready game transferred to the department of Tolima resources close to usd 243 million during 2023. All these territorial transfers are monitored by the Consejo Nacional de Juegos de Suerte y Azar.