About 40% of gambling in Colombia is illegal, meaning that the state loses between $700bn and $800bn, almost US$250m according to gaming regulator Coljuegos.
The head of the agency, Juan B. Perez Hidalgo, said that organised crime is behind illegal gambling. “Here there are criminal gangs that are being investigated. In fact the Prosecutor’s Office is taking the job of pursuing the illegality of gambling very seriously. There are criminal structures that are stealing from the health of Colombians. The (gaming) sector has been professionalised and formalised to continue to combat money laundering and illegality,” he said.
A number of measures will be taken according to Hidalgo. “In order to end this phenomenon, the government is looking to form an elite body, which will be responsible for strengthening operations against illegal gambling and surveillance and control on this front will be intensified.”
“We hope that this elite body will start working in about two months, currently what we are doing is working jointly with the governors, mayors and the unions of the sector to combat the illegal games of luck and chance,” added the official.
idalgo made the statements during the LAFT America Conference (Annual Congress against Money Laundering) held in Bogota last week. The conference, which is organised by the Colombian Association of Gaming Operators (Asojuegos) is aimed at strengthening anti money laundering measures in the sector.
Source: GMB / G3 Newswire
