Gaming sector growth in Colombia continues and, according to the Association of Gaming Operators (Feceazar), annual gross gaming revenue has reached 3 billion Colombian pesos (3,000,000 million pesos or US$1.5 billion). However, the Director of Colombia’s gaming board Etesa, Mery Luz Londoño, has announced that a report on the illegal sector has been filed with the Attorney General’s office, which seeks to prevent the participation of criminal elements in the gambling business.

This report was filed before the assassination of two Etesa officials last weekend in Medellin. Londoño says the deaths were associated with the constant threats made against her and gaming regulators from mafia-style organisations. She has asked for the authorities to provide better security for Etesa officials. Police in Medellin and the local office of the Attorney General have launched an investigation that will encompass the murders as well as the preoccupation of Etesa that organised crime is attempting to gain a foothold in Colombia’s gaming industry.

The Medellin government and its Police Chief acknowledge that investigators from various government bodies, including the tax department, are already pursuing those considered to be behind the massive fraud committed by clandestine gaming operations. The municipal government has offered a reward of 50 million pesos for information leading to the arrest of those involved in the killing of the Etesa officials.

Confirming that illegal gaming presently accounts for over 20% of operations in the country, Londoño pointed out that it means a huge amount of money from gaming tax is not reaching the health and welfare funds that by law benefit from the gambling industry. She also stated that the worst areas for illegal gaming in Colombia are Medellin, Barranquilla, Cúcuta, Bucaramanga, Santa Marta and Villavicencio. (E-01.30.08)

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