Legislation

Colombia – Colombian football organisation to take legal action against gaming board

By Phil - 4 October 2018

The Major Division of Colombian Professional Football (DIMAYOR) has announced that it will initiate legal action against gambling regulator Coljuegos.

The decision is based on the fact that Coljuegos has not allocated any commission to DIMAYOR, an organization responsible for organizing and operating professional football leagues and tournaments in Colombia, for the use of the names of their teams and the matches of their official championships.

Last month Coljuegos granted two new operators the licence to operate online sports betting. Alfabet S.A.S. and Teclino S.A.S. will be now able to offer their services under the domains www.betalfa.co and www.rivalo.co. The Head of Coljuegos Juan B. Pérez Hidalgo welcomed the news saying that it was further proof that companies were eager to invest in Colombia’s online gaming market. By the end of 2018, it is expected that the board will give the green light to 17 online operators.

According to local press, DIMAYOR did have a sports themed lottery known as Ganagol but it failed to make much impact on the market. In 2005, Intralot announced that it had signed an agreement with the gambling board to run the game. Operations began in June 2005, but sales for Ganagol were low and in February it was revealed that 2008 that the game was operating at a loss.

Unless it is resolved quickly, the announcement could well lead to increasing tension beneath bodies after they committed themselves to work for the integrity of football and betting on football in Colombia. In May, DIMAYOR announced that it had made several commitments to ensure transparency in the industry. It also committed itself to guarantee by all possible means match fixing and if possible, raise awareness of the reliability of sports betting in local media.

Online gaming laws in Colombia began to be tightened after legislation was passed in 2016. According to new regulations, operators granted a licence must adhere to a number of strict obligations and meet the technical requirements as per the terms granted to it by the state. Meanwhile, Coljuegos with the help of the National Police has continued to manage the blocking of unauthorised web pages strengthening the sector further.

Caption: Coljuegos Juan Hidalgo