Is online gambling legal in Colombia?

Licensed sites also sell esports, virtual and crash games, but not horse racing or fantasy contests; sites that offer those, or bets on elections, are unlicensed, and Coljuegos orders them blocked. No rule penalises you for playing on an unlicensed site, but on such a site your winnings are not covered by the prize guarantee that protects you on licensed sites. On a single payment above COP 2,513,952 (48 UVT in 2026) the operator withholds 20% occasional-gains tax; that figure is a withholding threshold, not a tax-free allowance. Self-exclusion is set with each operator separately.

1. 1Coljuegos Acuerdo 08 of 16 Sept 2020, Title 1 (reglamento of online games), compiling Acuerdo 04/2016
2. 2Coljuegos Acuerdo 01 of 7 May 2026 (redefines instant-prize games in Title 1 of Acuerdo 08/2020), OCR
3. 3Coljuegos Boletín No. 038, 29 Sep 2025, 'Coljuegos solicitó el bloqueo de portal web ilegal que opera apuestas sobre eventos electorales'
4. 4Ley 643 de 2001 (regimen propio del monopolio rentistico de juegos de suerte y azar), consolidated text, Secretaria del Senado
5. 5Coljuegos page 'Operadores de Juegos Online Autorizados por Coljuegos' (list of operators and sites)
6. 6Estatuto Tributario (Decreto 624 de 1989), compiled text in the Compilacion Juridica of the DIAN
7. 7Coljuegos, PQRSD page (petitions, complaints, claims, suggestions)

Gambling with crypto: Banned.

You must be 18 to gamble online in Colombia, for online casino, sports betting and lottery alike. 18, the age of majority. The online rulebook bars minors and makes the operator verify age (Acuerdo 08 of 2020 art 1.7.4).

The operator withholds 20% occasional-gains tax (ganancias ocasionales) when you withdraw, on any single payment above 48 UVT: COP 2,513,952 in 2026 (Estatuto Tributario arts 317 and 404-1; Acuerdo 08 of 2020 art 1.5.5). That figure is a withholding threshold, not a tax-free allowance: the tax rules do not say winnings below it are exempt, and they do not settle whether the 20% falls on the whole withdrawal or only on the winnings in it. Ask the DIAN.

The regulator's register lists 18 online licence holders in Colombia (checked 5 Nov 2026, no change since 27 Oct 2026).

Always verify a casino holds a valid Coljuegos (Empresa Industrial y Comercial del Estado Administradora del Monopolio Rentístico de los Juegos de Suerte y Azar) licence before depositing. Check the official register before signing up.

The official register of licensed sitesColjuegos (Empresa Industrial y Comercial del Estado Administradora del Monopolio Rentístico de los Juegos de Suerte y Azar)'s website

Prominent operators in Colombia

If a site isn't on the regulator's licensee register, ask the regulator before you play: an unlisted site is usually not licensed here (a register can lag behind a new licence). An unlicensed site is outside the regulator's supervision, so you cannot complain to the regulator about it.

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  Check the .co domain

  Each concession is tied to one website on a .co domain, and Coljuegos tells players to check that the site ends in .co.

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  Check Coljuegos’ list

  Coljuegos publishes the authorised operators with their websites and contracts (14 companies on its page as of 22 October 2026) and an open-data register of the contracts.

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  Look for the contract number and the Coljuegos logo

  Licensed sites must show the concession contract’s number, date and end date, the "Autoriza Coljuegos" seal and the Coljuegos logo linked to its website. Compare the contract number with Coljuegos’ list.

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  Pesos only, no crypto

  Licensed sites take deposits and pay out only in Colombian pesos, through supervised banks, payment gateways, postal payment operators or cash points; licensed operators may not take bets in crypto.

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1. 1

   1. Complain to the operator

   Every licensed operator must run a complaints channel open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, record when it received your complaint and answer in Spanish. No number of days is fixed for the answer.

2. 2

   2. Complain to Coljuegos

   If the operator does not resolve it, file a PQRSD with Coljuegos (online form, free line 01 8000 18 28 88, [email protected]). In May 2024 Coljuegos opened investigations after complaints about uncredited deposits and unpaid prizes.

3. 3

   3. No ombudsman; the cover backs unpaid prizes

   No independent ADR body handles online gambling disputes, and the rules give Coljuegos no express power to order a repayment. Each licensed operator holds a cover of at least COP 615,000,000 to pay prizes owed and return player funds.

• Myth

  Winnings under COP 2,513,952 are tax-free.
  Reality

  That is the 2026 withholding threshold (48 UVT): the operator withholds 20% only on a single payment above it. The tax rules do not say that smaller winnings are exempt from the 20% occasional-gains tax itself.

• Myth

  Any site that takes Colombian players is fine.
  Reality

  Only sites with a Coljuegos concession contract are legal. Each runs one .co website and must show its contract number and dates; Coljuegos lists the authorised companies (14 on its page as of 22 October 2026) and orders other sites blocked.

• Myth

  If I self-exclude at one site, I am excluded everywhere.
  Reality

  No. Self-exclusion binds only the operator where you asked for it, and operators do not share their lists, so exclude yourself at each site you use. If you revoke an exclusion, it lifts 72 hours later.