The Colombian Poker Federation, Fedepoker, has accused Coljuegos of using the Prosecutor’s Office to intervene in a poker tournament that the federation says was operating as a recognised sporting event.
The dispute follows a May 8 raid at the Barranquilla Plaza hotel, where the 2026 Interleague Poker Championship was being held.
The operation was carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office’s CTI unit and members of the Army, with tables, televisions and other tournament materials seized.
Fedepoker President Johann David Ibáñez Díaz said the operation followed a complaint filed by Coljuegos alleging that a national poker circuit was being held without state authorisation or a concession contract.
Coljuegos said the tournament did not pay exploitation rights and described poker as a game of luck and chance under Law 643 of 2001.
The federation disputes that position, arguing that the event fell under the framework for sports poker, which it says has been recognised through Ministry of Sport and Colombian Olympic Committee acts.
These include a favourable technical opinion issued in September 2024, sporting endorsement from the Olympic Committee in January 2025 and Ministry of Sport resolutions granting legal status and sporting recognition to Fedepoker.
Ibáñez said: “I am certain that they took advantage of the good faith and lack of knowledge that the Prosecutor’s Office has about poker as a sport to obtain a court order for a search and boycott the sporting event.”
The legal conflict reflects a wider jurisdictional dispute between the gambling regulator and sports authorities. Fedepoker says sports poker is played between competitors without a bankroll, third-party bets or bookmaker participation.
Coljuegos argues that poker championships still require authorisation because the activity falls within Colombia’s gambling monopoly.
Coljuegos has already filed an administrative lawsuit seeking to annul the acts recognising poker as a mind sport. Fedepoker says that case is still pending admission, while it plans criminal and disciplinary complaints over the May 8 complaint.
Earlier this month, GGI reported that Coljuegos had confirmed the suspension of an alleged illegal poker tournament in Barranquilla, with 1,869 items recovered and regulator Marco Emilio Hincapié stating that “poker is not a sport.”
Fedepoker says the Barranquilla championship was co-financed by Colombia’s Ministry of Sport through Public Interest Activities Support Contract No. CAIP-530-2026
