Interactive
Colombia – Italian operator enters Colombian online market
By Phil - 22 June 2018
Gaming regulator Coljuegos has granted HBG Gaming’s local subsidiary HBG Latam permission to operate online gaming in Colombia taking the total number of licences to eleven. The five-year licence gives the company to offer online sports betting via aquijuego.co.
Head of Coljuegos Juan B. Pérez Hidalgo emphasised the fact that Colombia was the first country in the region to regulate online gaming and the country now has eleven licensed operators now that the World Cup is underway. “The presence of more companies shows us that expectations surrounding the online gambling market in Colombia are great, and with it comes the generation of greater resources for the health of Colombians,” he said, adding that he expected that there would be 17 authorised online operators in Colombia by the end of the year.
HBG is the first Italian company to enter the Colombian online market. HBG Gaming provides a wide number of games to Italian consumers including slot machines, video lotteries, bingo, betting and online games – including poker, casino and skill games. It is regulated by Italy’s online gaming and betting regulator, Agenzia delle Dogane e dei Monopoli (ADM).
Earlier this month Gaming Coljuegos granted the digital division of Rush Street Gaming permission to operate online gaming in Colombia via www.rushbet.com. The licence is also valid for five years. Head of Coljuegos Juan B. Pérez Hidalgo welcomed the news saying that the entrance of Rush Street Gaming into the market meant that more operators ahead of The World Cup meant a more “a more competitive market” and that it confirmed “the great interest of the private sector” in online gaming in Colombia.
Mr. Hidalgo added that over $75bn (US$26.2m) has been gambled online on the newly licensed sites, which now have over 614,309 registered customers out of which 577,004 are active players. Of the over $11bn generated in licence fees by the board over $6bn has been earmarked for the Colombian health service so far.
