Fecoljuegos prepares tax counterproposal, still without figures
What the Colombian trade association announced this week is an intention to negotiate rather than a technical alternative. Fecoljuegos is working on a tax counterproposal in response to the Economic Rescue Bill, but the initiative is currently under internal review, and the federation has not publicly defined specific rates or percentages. Without concrete numbers, what is on the table is a call for technical discussion, not a tax framework that Congress can weigh against the Executive branch's proposal.
The core argument, however, is clearly stated: the same tax structure should not be applied equally to land-based establishments and digital platforms. According to the federation, the operating models and cost structures of each segment are substantially different, and any new tax burdens must account for these distinctions.
Here, it is worth clarifying what distinction the federation is actually calling for, as the government's bill already differentiates between verticals. Article 41 proposes the general 19 percent VAT rate for games of chance, but with different tax bases depending on the format: for bingo, gaming tables, and slot machines, monthly bases would be set in Tax Value Units (UVT), while for online betting, the levy would be calculated on player deposits. Traditional lotteries would be exempt. The bill, therefore, already differentiates how the tax is calculated; what Fecoljuegos is demanding is a differentiation in the actual tax burden.
This distinction matters because the tax base proposed for the online channel is what drives the steep increase. Calculating 19 percent on deposits divided by 1.19 is equivalent to withholding roughly 15.97 percent of all funds deposited into gaming accounts, without taking into account how much is paid out to players. A tax on deposits and a tax on gross gaming revenue are not comparable, and that is precisely where a counterproposal backed by figures would carry the most weight.
Evert Montero, president of the federation, framed the request around an openness to contribute. He stated that the industry understands the need to support the stability of public finances and remains willing to come to the negotiating table, but urged that the sector's arguments be heard and that a technical debate be opened regarding the impact of these new obligations.
The trade association based this demand on recent precedent, arguing that the industry has absorbed one tax change after another, and that the previous administration's levies were introduced without adequate technical justification regarding their impact on the sector's viability. This argument has verifiable backing: VAT on online gaming was imposed by decree in February 2025 under a state of internal unrest, and the framework under Decree 1474 of 2025 was ultimately declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court.
The association's warnings point to three main consequences: an excessive tax increase would jeopardize formal employment, investment, and the viability of licensed operators; legal operators need to remain sustainable to continue transferring resources to the public healthcare system; and any revenue target must be accompanied by measures against the illegal market. They summarized their position as a call for "fair, substantiated, and proportionate taxation" that accommodates fiscal contributions without driving companies out of business.
The expected legislative path runs through the economic committees of Congress and the Ministry of Finance, where the federation will present its case. That setting also dictates the actual timeline for the debate, as it was in those very committees that the previous bill fell through in December 2025 by nine votes to four, and where this bill must now pass. If the counterproposal reaches that stage without hard figures, its impact will be limited to merely buying time.
Fecoljuegos is the Colombian Federation of Games of Luck and Chance Entrepreneurs, representing operators of casinos, slot machines, bingo halls, and online platforms in the country. Gaming operations in Colombia are licensed and regulated by Coljuegos, an agency under the Ministry of Finance, and the funds generated by the sector are specifically earmarked for the healthcare system. The Economic Rescue Bill was introduced on October 29 and must be debated by Congress, which has the power to amend, remove, or reject the articles concerning the gaming industry.
Tags: Colombia, Fecoljuegos, Online gaming VAT, Tax reform