Sergio Entrena, the Minister of Finance for Santander Province in Colombia, recently warned in an interview with La Opinión that over 80% of gambling activities in the region are conducted through informal channels, leading to significant tax revenue losses that should have been allocated to the healthcare system, severely affecting the sustainable operation of public medical services.
Entrena pointed out that illegal gambling establishments evade tax obligations, causing financial shortages for critical medical institutions such as the Provincial Health Institute (IDS) and the Erasmo Meoz University Hospital, making it difficult to provide adequate public services. To address this issue, the government of Santander Province has launched the "Gambling Legality Agreement" and established an office under the Ministry of Finance for supervision and control, promoting the regularization of gambling service providers.
"We need to provide medical services not only for the residents of our province but also support Venezuelan immigrants through IDS and Erasmo Meoz University Hospital," Entrena added, "Illegal gambling is eroding our ability to fulfill these responsibilities."
According to Carlos Parra, director of the Colombian Office for Supervision and Control of Chance and Luck Games, in the first half of this year, the regular lottery and gambling industry contributed more than 8.876 billion pesos (about 2.2 million USD) to IDS, including 945.2 million pesos from 14 foreign lotteries and 5.505 million pesos (about 1.3 million USD) from the service operator Supergiros. Additionally, unclaimed prizes and online games also generated over 257 million pesos in revenue.
Susan Porras, manager of illegal operations control at Coljuegos, further emphasized that in 2024, illegal gambling activities are expected to prevent nearly 1.5 trillion pesos from entering the healthcare system, whereas legal gambling has raised 1.04 trillion pesos for public healthcare. In 2023, the agency conducted 245 enforcement actions across 25 provinces, seizing 5651 devices, destroying 9600 slot machines, and initiating lawsuits against 700 individuals, as well as blocking 27000 illegal gambling websites.
"Every peso used for illegal gambling is a resource taken away from the health of the Colombian people," Porras stated, "All casino operations must obtain a franchise contract from Coljuegos, otherwise, they will face administrative penalties and criminal sanctions ranging from five to eight years of imprisonment."
