Expressen portal 'denounced' by Coljuegos for promoting unauthorized betting

Colombian regulator Coljuegos has informed the public that the Expressen portal has been included in the list of websites "denounced" by the entity for the promotion of unauthorized betting since 2021.

Having taken place under the administration of former President Iván Duque, the request for blocking was made in accordance with provisions of Article 38 of Law 643, originally established in 2011 but amended earlier this year.

The amendment states: "The administrators of the monopoly, the inspection, surveillance and control authorities, the police authorities and the National Police may monitor the channels, financial institutions, Internet pages and media that in any way serve the exploitation, operation, sale, payment, advertising or commercialization of unauthorized games of luck and chance, and order the corresponding alerts and blocks."

Coljuegos was unable to confirm whether the Expressen portal operates additional domains other than the one referred to in the blocking request. The site has now been registered within a list of over 34,100 platforms which have been found to promote illegal gambling throughout Colombia.

The regulator continued its crackdown on illegal gambling across the region on September 25, having seized 6,291 illegal items and destroyed nearly 9,774 bingo halls and poker tables, along with slot machines and internet betting modules.

Coljuegos President Marco Emilio Hincapié commented, "We have taken on the responsibility of protecting the legality and integrity of the sector with total determination.

"Today I want to highlight the commitment of our entity on two fundamental fronts: the fight against illegal gambling and the prevention of money laundering and the financing of terrorism."

The organization maintains a philosophy of fostering growth within the industry through sustainable regulatory methods.