The operation of these illegal devices meant that the health system missed out on approximately USD18.8m annually.
Colombia.- As part of the strategy to fight against illegality, Coljuegos destroyed 2,042 elements of games of chance that were operating illegally in various regions of Colombia and that would have failed to transfer around COP78.412m (USD18.8m) annually to the health system.
Out of the total destroyed elements, 190 had been seized by the entity in the year 2022, and another 1,852 correspond to control activities carried out since October 2023, and to date, by the current administration of Coljuegos.
After the operation, Marco Emilio Hincapié, president of Coljuegos, said: "When we arrived at the entity, we found more than 6,000 elements stored in warehouses for years. We, in addition to destroying that inventory, are already destroying the machines we have seized during this administration."
He added: "This will allow us to maintain the logistical and operational capacity to continue carrying out control actions in the country. We are striking decisively at those who operate betting without paying the taxes for health."
See also: Coljuegos signed a pact to fight against illegal gambling in Cundinamarca
The destroyed elements were valued at COP445m (USD106,711). Among these were electronic slot machines, roulette wheels, bingo chairs and boards, as well as televisions, CPUs, ticket machines, monitors, online betting modules, code readers, lottery machines, among other elements.
"All these illegal machines were removed in operations carried out in the departments of Atlántico, Bolívar, Cesar, Magdalena, Antioquia, Huila, Tolima, Guajira, Córdoba, and Cundinamarca. For the first time, the entity is attacking focuses of illegality in areas where control was not previously exercised," said Hincapié.
Thus, during 2024, Coljuegos has destroyed 7,382 illegal elements. Additionally, in the coming days, the entity expects to continue with the destruction of another 953 machines, online betting modules, bingo chairs and tables, among others.
