Coljuegos blocked over 46,000 illegal sites since 2022
Coljuegos, the body that regulates games of luck and chance in Colombia, confirmed that since 2022 it has issued 46,228 blocking orders against betting portals operating without authorization. This figure represents 83% of the total historical number of requests processed by the entity since its creation, which amounts to 55,658 accumulated blocks.
The president of Coljuegos, Marco Emilio Hincapié, highlighted that the regulator's operational capacity to combat illegal gambling grew substantially thanks to the deployment of its own Artificial Intelligence Center. This tool allows for the automated identification and escalation of blocks, in direct coordination with the Ministry of Information and Communications Technologies (MinTIC) and Internet Service Providers. "While past administrations only issued around 9,000 blocking requests, we multiplied that figure by 5, and in just 4 years," said the executive.
The joint work scheme with MinTIC allowed for the simplification of the technical blocking process, reducing response times from the identification of the portal to its effective disabling. Hincapié noted that the central objective is to ensure that Colombians only access the 15 operators that hold a valid license granted by Coljuegos, the only ones that offer real guarantees regarding data protection and prize payment.
Beyond the impact on market integrity, the regulator emphasized the social dimension of the fight against illegal gambling. The revenues that Coljuegos collects from authorized operators are used to finance the health of less-resourced Colombians, a flow that is directly affected when players opt for clandestine platforms that do not contribute to the system. "By playing on legal portals, you are not only guaranteeing the protection of your data and your bets, but you are also contributing to the health of less-favored Colombians," Hincapié reminded.
The Colombian case has direct relevance for the regulatory debate in Latin America. The combination of artificial intelligence, inter-institutional coordination with internet providers, and a massive and sustained blocking policy over time is a model that several countries in the region are analyzing. Brazil, Peru, and Argentina face similar challenges regarding the proliferation of unauthorized platforms, and Coljuegos' experience offers a concrete reference on how to scale the state's response capacity without the need for fundamental legislative reforms.
Tags: Colombia, Coljuegos, illegal gambling Colombia, online casino blocking Colombia, artificial intelligence in casinos, MinTIC Colombia