How important was your attendance to the Seventh Meeting of Compliance Officers of Cornazar and Asojul? Why was Coljuegos there?
It was the first event I attended. In fact, I have not yet completed a month at the head of the entity. My presence was an obligation. The same is going to happen with all the activities of associations, foundations and federations that have to do with the participation of Colombian gambling businessmen. Without a doubt, it is a responsibility of Coljuegos to be able to listen and analyze what is happening in the sector. To understand this reality, the best is not to be sitting in a chair of the presidency signing papers that others pass me without knowing for sure what is going on. It has been important to come just for the issues that were discussed, related to the economic processes of globalization: to consider and debate the entry and exit of money from irregular sources. This leads us to become aware of the situation and the need to put a barrier to companies that illegally use resources of this nature to generate money laundering operations in the country. It must be remembered that Colombia has signed commitments with the United States that oblige us, as a democratic country, to seek the best ways to control this scourge. Our role as a gambling regulatory entity is to inspect and monitor this sector, which is so important for our economy, since it generates valuable resources for the health of Colombians.
You have an extensive and highly respected public career, including the General Management of the Bogota Lottery, and the presidency of the Colombian Lottery Federation (FEDELCO). Knowing the dynamics of the gaming sector and based on your experience, how do you think you will be able to make a significant contribution to the progress of the industry, now in your new position as head of the Colombian regulatory body Coljuegos?
The idea is to combat corruption hand in hand with confronting illegality, but generating a peaceful proposal. By ‘peaceful’ I mean suppressing the illegality of gaming through education, teaching that the best option is to be responsible and comply with the law. At this time, we are receiving approximately COL$840 billion (USD 208 million) in revenue from gaming and we aspire to exceed that figure, seeking to cross the figure of one trillion pesos. We want to send more resources to the regions of the country to improve the health of Colombians and endorse our role before society.
In 2022, there were excellent figures for tax collection, betting and transfers in the sector, which continued in the first quarter of 2023, with a 24% growth in collection. How will you work together with your team to maintain these good indicators for the remainder of 2023?
One of the ways is through the actions that we are implementing: getting closer to the business community, strengthening legality, giving them the confidence of knowing that Coljuegos opens its doors for them to express their concerns, confronting corruption forcefully and decisively. My task is to approach the different sectors, listen to their problems and work to solve them. In that trust, that closeness, we will build together a path of growth, accompanying the evolution of segments such as sports betting, which have really multiplied. Due to market dynamics, we see projections of more than a 50% increase in bets, so we will be attentive to this positive reality, both for licensed operators and for the players.
Another essential parameter of Coljuegos is the encouragement of operators and players to practice responsible gambling within a framework of sustainability. What initiatives will you establish to spread that message to the entire national territory?
The gambling industry belongs to all the actors: operators, players and the State. We have to join them together, evaluating the different processes. In addition, the Ministry of Health must be integrated with regard to problematic gambling, taking extreme care towards affected players. We propose a joint effort between the regulator, operators, industrialists, investors, union representatives, to discuss the best proposals regarding responsible gambling. At the Government level, Coljuegos is focused on covering a multidisciplinary task with other state entities: the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Trade, the Financial Superintendence, the Money Laundering Unit and other bodies that have to do with the development processes of games of luck and chance, assuming responsibilities and finding solutions. I think that is the right path to take. The State is in charge of ensuring responsible gambling to provide a security framework for both operators and players alike.
What goals do you hope to achieve for the end of this year, and with what expectations will you face 2024, also understanding that, at a political level, there will be regional elections in Colombia in October 2023?
We will work to resolve various issues during our administration. I see processes behind schedule that do not have important advances. So we are going to achieve that they have their correct operability and their execution at 80 or 90%. We understand that there have been some irregularities in Coljuegos, with four presidents in one year, which has affected the dialogue with the sector. We hope to fully resume that contact and maintain the validity of our actions. The regional elections in October will be part of a political process that will not affect our work in pursuit of the goals already set.
ALLIANCES TO CONTINUE DYNAMIZING GAMBLING IN COLOMBIA
In recent weeks, Coljuegos has sealed various agreements to strengthen the work plan of the new administration. On the one hand, the Inter-institutional Cooperation Agreement with the Financial Information and Analysis Unit (UIAF) was highlighted to coordinate actions in the fight, prevention and detection of possible money laundering operations, financing of terrorism and support for proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
On the other hand, the Colombian gaming regulatory body decided to move forward with the signing of Legality Pacts with the main gaming unions in the country. Thus, this commitment was supported by Elizabeth Maya Cano (president of Cornazar), Evert Montero Cardenas (head of Fecoljuegos), Juan Carlos Restrepo (Asojuegos’s president) and Rocio Acosta (president of Fedelco). All were willing to continue working hard against illegal practices that are detrimental to member companies.