The Colombian regulator says the machines operated without authorisation and may have avoided around COP$284 million in exploitation rights
Coljuegos has seized 30 illegal electronic slot machines during an interinstitutional operation in the municipality of Iles, Nariño.
The machines were operating without authorisation in three establishments and may have avoided payment of around COP$284 million in exploitation rights, according to the Colombian gambling regulator.
The operation was carried out jointly by Coljuegos, Lotería de Nariño and the Special Operations Group of the National Police, GOES.
The enforcement action adds to Coljuegos’ wider campaign against illegal gambling, which the regulator says diverts resources that should help finance Colombia’s health system.
Marco Emilio Hincapié, President of Coljuegos
“The fight against illegality does not stop. We continue delivering forceful blows against criminal structures that operate games of chance without authorisation and defraud the resources transferred to the health of Colombians.”
Illegal slot machines remain one of the clearest risks for Colombia’s land-based gaming sector. Unauthorised equipment competes with licensed operators, avoids official controls and does not contribute exploitation rights to public health funding.
That makes enforcement in municipalities such as Iles important beyond the machines themselves. Each seizure is part of a wider effort to protect legal operators and preserve the social funding model tied to regulated gaming.
Coljuegos said the current administration has seized 12,852 illegal gaming elements across 24 departments during the last four years. The regulator also reported carrying out more than 514 operations with the support of public and private entities.
Marco Emilio Hincapié, President of Coljuegos
“The Government of Change was a nightmare for illegal operators. In these four years, we seized a total of 12,852 illegal elements in 24 departments. We carried out more than 514 operations with the support of other private and state entities.”
The regulator also said 15,644 illegal gaming elements have been destroyed during the current administration. Coljuegos said the objective is to prevent seized equipment from returning to organised illegal gambling networks.
Destruction is a key part of the enforcement cycle. Without it, machines removed from one location can return to operation elsewhere, creating a repeated cost for authorities and continued leakage from the legal market.
The 30 machines seized in Iles will now enter an administrative sanctioning process before being destroyed by Coljuegos.
Operating games of chance without authorisation is a criminal offence under Article 312 of Colombia’s Penal Code. Coljuegos also noted that those found responsible may face a sanction of 100 current legal monthly minimum wages for each machine seized.
That penalty structure is designed to make illegal operation financially risky. It also sends a message to establishments that host unauthorised gaming equipment, not only to those who own or supply the machines.
Nariño has been a recurring focus for Coljuegos enforcement. The regulator has previously reported action against illegal tele-bingos, unauthorised gaming elements and other illegal operations in the department.
The latest seizure therefore fits into a broader regional pattern, where the regulator works with local lottery authorities and police units to identify, remove and sanction illegal gaming activity.
For the legal industry, the issue is not only regulatory fairness. Illegal machines can affect player protection, prize-payment transparency, technical controls and tax collection.
Licensed operators must comply with equipment standards, reporting duties and payments to the state. Illegal operators avoid those obligations, creating an uneven market and weakening confidence in regulated gaming.
Coljuegos has repeatedly linked the fight against illegal gambling to health funding. In Colombia, legal games of chance make direct contributions to the health system, so every unauthorised operation can reduce the resources available for public services.
The Iles operation shows that land-based enforcement remains central even as attention often focuses on online betting and digital platforms.
Illegal physical machines can still generate meaningful leakage, especially when they are spread across local establishments and operate outside centralised control systems.
The seizure of 30 machines will not end the problem on its own. But it reinforces the regulator’s message that enforcement is continuing across the country and that unauthorised gaming equipment faces seizure, sanction and destruction.
For Coljuegos, the challenge now is to maintain pressure in regional markets while supporting legal operators that contribute to health funding and comply with national gaming rules.
