The Colombian gaming regulatory authority, Coljuegos, has approved a series of measures that will allow further development of lotteries throughout the country, such as the ability to carry out two ‘extraordinary draws’ a year in 2020 and 2021 and the inclusion of telebingo.
As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak one of the sectors that has suffered the most was that of the retail lottery which contributes their income to the Colombian Health System. Due to this disruption Coljuegos has considered it necessary to reactivate operations and promote economic recovery.
Furthermore, the measure also supports the sale of instant lotteries and the transmission of bingo games ‘via Streaming or TV bingo’.
President of Coljuegos, Juan B. Pérez Hidalgo, stated: “We are going to authorise the operation of telebingo as a measure to reactivate the operation of localised games. Our operators will be able to sell the cards physically and transmit the bingo so that it can be played from home. We have also taken measures so that merchants can reactivate their businesses with promotional games.”
The news is especially important in the case of Fecoljuegos, who, as a result of the incentive is set to ‘captivate a new audience’ which in turn is set to further boost the generation of health resources.
Evert Montero Cárdenas, president of Fecoljuegos, added: “We recognise the actions and decisions that President Iván Duque and his council of ministers have taken to face the negative effects of COVID-19, but we are concerned that no kind of relief has been given to the lucky game sector and random located, casinos and bingos, which is the one that generates the most resources for health and the one that is currently in greatest financial difficulties, since its operation has been closed for more than two months.
“We feel that the same considerations have not been taken against sectors that have already been able to open and that have received benefits such as the suspension of VAT and other tax burdens. For this particular sector, the VAT generated is very burdensome, since the businessmen are the ones who assume it ”.