With the executive branch establishing that 41 services may resume activities following ‘biosafety protocols’, Colombia has seen itself become exempt from Decree 593 and as such has reopened its lottery services.
Points 3 and 29 of Decree 593 establish the reactivation of “operations of games of luck and games of chance”, but bingos, casino and video games shops will remain closed.
“Some lottery services will reopen, mostly because of the resources we obtain from these activities. They are safe and they’re important for the health sector,” said the President of Colombia Iván Duque.
Colombia decided to restart its lottery operations despite being in a mandatory lockdown until May 11. The goal is to mitigate the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on local businesses.
In order to be able to operate the lottery, the authorities and the agencies must follow thorough sanitary instructions to prevent a spread and safeguard the health of its employees. It is still unclear how the government will verify if the shops are following those directions.
Moreover, today at 5:45pm (UK time), the panel “What’s next for Colombia? Lessons from the pioneering country in online gaming regulation in Latam” will take place at the SBC Digital Summit. Colombia is a success story at a regional level, serving as a model for those countries that want to develop a framework to regulate the activity.
