Legislación
Colombia – Colombian football organisation to take legal action against gaming board
By Phil - 4 Octubre 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.
Las leyes de juego en línea en Colombia comenzaron a endurecerse después de que se aprobara la legislación en 2016. Según las nuevas regulaciones, los operadores a los que se les otorga una licencia deben cumplir una serie de obligaciones estrictas y cumplir con los requisitos técnicos según los términos otorgados por el estado. Mientras tanto, Coljuegos con ayuda de la Policía Nacional ha seguido gestionando el bloqueo de páginas web no autorizadas fortaleciendo aún más al sector.
Caption: Coljuegos Juan Hidalgo
