Illegal poker tournament folded in Colombia

Coljuegos, the Colombian Gambling Authority, has confirmed that an illegal poker tournament held in Barranquilla has been stopped.

The operation was carried out alongside the Attorney General's Office. 

A total of 1,869 items used in poker gaming were recovered, although it is not clear whether this includes individual chips and cards or whether these were counted by packs and stacks. 

Other items included time clocks, tables, invoices, card protectors and more.

Marco Emilio Hincapié, Coljuegos President, said: “We want to be emphatic: poker is not a sport, it is a game of luck and chance contemplated in Law 643 of 2001, specifically in Article 34. According to our legal system, no administrative act can be above the law.

"Every poker championship must have the respective authorization of Coljuegos, since, according to the law, this game of luck and chance must pay the respective exploitation rights to operate legally. Every illegal poker game represents lost resources for the subsidized health system.”

(From right to left) A professional poker set up, presumably one of the prizes and a full poker schedule that were all seized as part of the raid.

As the games were run illegally, large sums of prize money were being awarded to players without the necessary licenses or authorization. 

Hincapié continued: “At this time, we have filed a lawsuit in the administrative court seeking the annulment of the administrative act by which poker was declared a mind sport, since the law is clear in determining that it is a game of chance.

“We have held meetings with the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) and the Ministries of Education and Health, and we have sent official letters to the Education Secretariats of Cesar and Valledupar because they are offering poker classes in schools. 

“We will not allow a misinterpretation to encourage children and adolescents to enter the world of gambling.”

In March, Coljuegos completed a similar raid in Barranquilla that saw the Military Police Battalion No. 2 of the National Army help seize 293 illegal gambling items from an illegal gambling operation.