Medellín Lottery celebrates 95 years with record sales
On May 29th, the Lotería de Medellín reached a significant milestone: 95 years since its inception as the Lotería de Beneficencia y Asistencia Pública. The Colombian entity chose to celebrate this anniversary by showcasing impressive figures. In 2025, the Antioquian lottery secured the top spot in traditional lottery sales in Colombia and solidified the department's position as the absolute leader in the permanent betting segment. Both metrics have been growing for several years, in parallel with its digitalization strategy. The organization's report highlights a rare combination among state operators in the region: record sales, digital expansion, and increasing contributions to the public health system.
The numbers are compelling. The lottery closed 2025 with sales of COP 177.013 billion, equivalent to approximately USD 48.5 million, in its traditional lottery product, enough to lead the national ranking. Added to this is the performance of permanent bets or "chance" in Antioquia, which exceeded COP 596.123 billion, around USD 163 million, a volume that keeps the department at the forefront of the segment in Colombia. The combination of both businesses makes it one of the most relevant legal gaming operators in the country, in a market where competition among regional lotteries is increasingly measured in terms of efficiency and fiscal contribution.
Over USD 38 million for the health system
The figure the entity chose to highlight in its anniversary message is the transfers to the healthcare system. The Lotería de Medellín allocated over COP 140.621 billion, approximately USD 38 million, to the Administrator of the Resources of the General Social Security System in Health, the Department of Antioquia, and Minciencias. These funds are channeled towards financing the health system, public hospitals, and scientific research linked to the health sector, a typical architecture of the Colombian model that links legal gambling to social financing and which the entity claims as its reason for being.
For the current fiscal year, the lottery already reports traditional draw sales of COP 65.164 billion, equivalent to USD 17.8 million, while its instant product Raspa&Listo contributed revenues of COP 1.157 billion, around USD 3.17 million. Manager Néstor Fernando Zuluaga Giraldo framed the anniversary with a message of management and institutional vindication: "We celebrate 95 years consolidated as the number one lottery in Colombia, thanks to the trust of our players and transparent and certified management that has consistently strengthened the generation of resources for health and the country's development."
Strong commitment to digital transformation
The other pillar of the narrative is technological modernization. The lottery is advancing with a digitalization strategy that includes strengthening Lottired and incorporating new electronic channels for the commercialization of its products. This move is significant in a market where the physical format is losing ground to digital, and where illegal online operators are exerting increasing pressure on the traditional business. The entity also highlights that it holds ICONTEC's NTC 6767 certification, related to management and control practices in games of chance, in addition to carbon footprint and social responsibility certifications that aim to position it at international standards.
The case of the Lotería de Medellín is part of a broader debate across Latin America. While Brazil discusses how to frame its state lotteries against the new regulated betting market, Argentina debates the transformation of its agencies, and Peru advances with online gambling regulation, regional lotteries that combine financial strength, digitalization, and social contribution appear as a reference model. The 95 years of the Antioquian entity show that legal gambling can sustain a relevant health financing model even in a scenario of accelerated technological change and increasing competition from private operators.
Tags: Colombia, Medellin, Medellin lottery, LatAm regional lotteries, responsible gaming Colombia, Coljuegos