Online Casinos in Colombia

The Legal Position

Online casino play is regulated in Colombia and domestically licensed. Coljuegos, the national gambling authority, publishes a register of internet gaming sites that hold operating contracts with it, each identified by a numbered concession — Betplay.com.co under Contrato 1876, Wplay.co under Contrato 1741, Rushbet.co under Contrato 1972 and others. It is published at www.coljuegos.gov.co/…/juegos-operados-por-internet-autorizados. Coljuegos tells players to "juega solo en lugares físicos y virtuales autorizados por Coljuegos" — play only in physical and virtual places it has authorised.

The Law by Name

The framework is Ley 643 de 2001, which established the state's own regime for the revenue monopoly on games of chance. Its Article 38, as amended by Article 93 of Ley 1753 de 2015, brought internet gambling inside the "juegos novedosos" category and closes with the instruction that "COLJUEGOS reglamentará los juegos de su competencia que operen y comercialicen por Internet" — Coljuegos shall regulate the games within its competence that operate and are marketed over the internet.

Article 38 also draws the line between a genuinely online game and a physical draw sold online: a game is treated as operating by internet where the bet and the payment of prizes happen only by that means, after the player registers on the authorised site, and the mechanics rest on a virtual random number generator or on real events whose results are not controlled. Coljuegos has layered implementing instruments on top, the most recent listed on its own internet-gaming page being Acuerdo 01 de 2026, alongside Acuerdo 6 de 2023, Acuerdo 8 de 2020 and Acuerdo 2 de 2021, and Resolución 20161200025334 de 2016 setting the requirements and guarantees for a concession.

A Revenue Monopoly Run Through Concessions

Colombia's arrangement is often described loosely as a monopoly, and the terminology needs care. Coljuegos' full legal name is Empresa Industrial y Comercial del Estado Administradora del Monopolio Rentístico de los Juegos de Suerte y Azar — it administers a revenue monopoly held by the state. It does not itself run the online casinos. Private companies hold the concessions and operate the sites, paying exploitation rights to Coljuegos, which is why a competitive list of licensed brands exists.

Player Age and Eligibility

The minimum age is 18. Coljuegos states on its own responsible-gambling page that "los juegos de suerte y azar son una opción de entretenimiento para mayores de 18 años", and Ley 643 de 2001 prohibits nationally "el ofrecimiento o venta de juegos de suerte y azar a menores de edad y a personas que padezcan enfermedades mentales que hayan sido declaradas interdictas judicialmente". Coljuegos adds a residency condition for licensed play: "El domicilio del Jugador registrado en la cuenta de usuario debe encontrarse en territorio Colombiano."