The new tax on betting houses and online gambling could lead to a reduction in advertising investment with losses for clubs ranging between USD 9m and USD 15m.
Colombia.- Colombian soccer is going through a moment of uncertainty due to the recent proposal of a new tax on betting houses and online gambling promoted by the government of President Gustavo Petro. According to a source close to the sector consulted by the local media El Tiempo, if this tax is approved, there would be a significant decrease in sponsorship investment in the Liga BetPlay, as betting houses, which currently invest between COP 120,000m (USD 28m) and COP 140,000m (USD 33.5m) annually, would reduce their economic contribution.
The source indicated that, if the tax comes into effect, the first areas affected would be advertising and payments linked to Colombian soccer. "The first thing to reduce is what is invested in advertising and what is paid in Colombian professional soccer," he assured.
Preliminary calculations from the sector estimate that the reduction in investment could be between 40 percent and 60 percent of the total investment, which would amount to a loss of between 40,000m (USD 9.5m) and 60,000m (USD 14.3m). This impact would add to the uncertainty that soccer is going through, due to the multiple team sponsors of the A, such as BetPlay, WPlay, and Betsson, who could reconsider their commitments in the face of this new tax.
Recently, in the plenary session of the Chamber of Representatives, the Petro government formalized the new taxes that will affect Colombians during the 90 days of the state of internal commotion, as a consequence of the crisis in Catatumbo. Originally, an IVA-type tax on bets was considered, but in the negotiations, it was proposed that the collection be on the deposits made by players on betting platforms.
It is worth remembering that BetPlay, one of the main sponsors of the Liga BetPlay, renewed its sponsorship agreement for the Dimayor tournaments until 2030. Other A teams, such as Nacional, Bucaramanga, Pereira, and Deportivo Cali, also have the support of betting houses, which makes the concern for the future of these contracts even more relevant.
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The sector is attentive to the evolution of this measure, which could jeopardize the economic balance of the League and affect the flow of investment that currently supports several of the biggest soccer teams in Colombia.
Below are detailed all the links between betting houses and the clubs of the Liga BetPlay that could be affected due to the new Colombian reality:
After the Executive announced the measure, alarms were raised in the Colombian gaming sector, the president of the Colombian Federation of Entrepreneurs of Games of Chance and Luck (Fecoljuegos) Evert Montero Cárdenas, requested through two letters addressed to Minister Guevara, and to the director of Dane, Piedad Urdinola, the possibility of establishing a dialogue table to analyze the figures that were used as a basis for making that decision. Additionally, in another communication via social networks, they raised the risk that the measure implies for the industry.
“We understand the complex task of structuring measures that allow achieving the fiscal and social goals outlined in the governmental agenda. Therefore, we wish to make our experience and knowledge of the sector available to contribute constructively in the search for solutions that benefit both the Colombian State and our industry, which has proven to be an important engine in generating employment and resources for the country,” they indicated from the guild.
Moreover, from the entity, they indicated that “this measure would not only put at risk the financial stability of a key sector for the digital economy, but it would also alter the contractual balance between the currently authorized companies and the State, compromising the model that has allowed the sustainable growth of this industry”.
Between January and December, the most relevant state of the industry collected more than USD15.610m thanks to the figures from the last month of the year.
United States.- The Nevada Gaming Control Board (NGCB) has reported that the state's casinos generated USD1.460m in gaming revenues in December. This represents a 2 percent year-on-year increase and brings the total for 2024 to a record of USD15.610m, a 0.6 percent increase over the USD15.520m reported in 2023.
According to the latest report for 2024, in December, the Las Vegas Strip generated USD881.2m, a year-on-year decrease of 2.6 percent. Clark County as a whole, which includes the Strip, downtown Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, the Boulder Strip, and surrounding areas, generated USD1.200m, an increase of 1.5 percent. Washoe County, which includes casinos in Reno, Sparks, and North Lake Tahoe, generated USD90m in revenues, a year-on-year increase of 12 percent.
The slots accounted for USD981m of all revenues for the last month of the year, a 14 percent increase compared to December 2023. Revenues from table games, counter games, and card games decreased by 16 percent to USD480m. In December, Nevada's betting houses won USD15m, a 74.7 percent decrease from the previous year. Sports betting totaled USD821.2m, a 2.6 percent decrease from last December. Mobile betting statewide amounted to USD572.8m, representing 69.8 percent of all bets.
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The state collected USD90.5m in percentage fees during January 2025 based on the taxable revenues generated in December 2024. This represents a 6.56 percent increase compared to last January, when the collection of percentage fees was USD84.9m.
