Senator Gustavo Moreno is preparing legislation to tighten controls on online betting in Colombia. The bill would require digital identity verification and set daily and monthly limits on player deposits and losses.
Moreno said stronger identity checks would prevent minors from accessing betting platforms using borrowed credentials. He cited the scale of the market: roughly eight million active accounts and COP4.6 trillion in handle during the first quarter of 2025. Two thirds of players are aged 18 to 29, and most bet once a week. Over 2024–2025, operators received 245,199 self-exclusion requests, which Moreno called evidence of harm.
Evert Montero, president of operator federation Fecoljuegos, said licensed platforms already use document verification, biometrics and self-exclusion tools. The real problem, he argued, is unlicensed operators that pay no tax, contribute nothing to the health system and ignore responsible-gambling requirements. Blocked illegal sites reappear under new domains within minutes.
Montero warned that excessive regulation would create friction for legal companies and push players toward the black market. In August, regulator Coljuegos issued 58,916 blocking orders against websites and social-media accounts linked to illegal betting. The full text of the bill has not been published.
