Colombia's gambling regulator, Coljuegos, has awarded a concession that will allow keno games to operate legally in four regions of the country beginning in January 2026.
The move is part of a broader strategy to expand regulated gaming options while increasing financial contributions to Colombia's subsidized health system.
Coljuegos projects that keno will generate approximately $485m in monopoly revenues over the next five years, with estimated sales of $2.3bn during the same period.
According to the regulator, keno will be defined as a game of chance in which players select 10 numbers from 1 to 80 and compare them to 20 numbers drawn by a random number generator.
The games will be made available across almost the entire country, including Bogotá.
A four-month pre-operational stage has already begun, paving the way for distribution and sales to commence in early 2026. Coljuegos expects the rollout to include more than 16,000 sales terminals nationwide.
Commenting on the regulatory development, Coljuegos President Marco Emilio Hincapié stated: "The concession of the game was made through an open process for all operators interested in participating. We are pleased to tell the public that the award was made in a transparent manner and with a plurality of bidders.
"In total, we expect to have more than 16,000 sales terminals throughout the country. With this, we seek to expand the offer for bettors and consolidate the sector of games of luck and chance as a fundamental pillar in the national economy."
The announcement follows Coljuegos' continued enforcement efforts against illegal gambling, including the seizure of 569 illegal gambling items in September.
Three operators - Keno SAS, Blinkazar SAS and Keno Region 3 SAS - have been selected to run keno operations across the designated regions following an open bidding process
