Colombia – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
Colombia, like a lot of South American countries, has a bit of an ambiguous relationship with gambling. Gambling is very popular in the country, and physical casinos are legally allowed provided they are operating with the correct license. Online gambling is also allowed and there are several local casinos on the offer for players. The governing body that manages gambling in the country did not regulate online gambling until 2016. However, the necessity for regulation was highlighted by GTECH in 2015. By 2016, Colombia passed the eGaming Act, set gross win tax of 15%, and started welcoming applications from both offshore and local operators.
Top casinos in Colombia – Online Casinos & Gambling Regulations
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Find the Best Colombia Casino Online
There is a solid number of international and national casinos operating within Colombia. Of course, this means that finding a casino to play at doesn't have to be a hassle. There are several questions and factors you can consider to reduce the risk of picking a scam or unreliable operator. Though, this shouldn't be an issue if you stick to sites approved by Coljuegos. When we are judging casinos here at GoodLuckMate, we tend to ask the following questions:
- Does the casino allow players from Colombia to open an account?
- What safety measures have been taken by the site?
- Does the casino work with trusted software developers?
- What games are available on the site?
- What currencies are accepted at the casino? Do they accept cryptocurrencies?
- Are they reputable user reviews available for the casino online?
- Are players from Colombia able to take part in welcome bonuses and other promotions?
Here at GoodLuckMate, we believe in making our readers’ lives as easy as possible. We have spent hours going through lots of different online casinos and compiling detailed reviews so that our readers don’t have to. Our reviews check to see if a casino is safe to play at, as well as providing an in-depth analysis of their games collection, their bonuses and promotions, and more.
Gambling Regulation – Coljuegos
The governing body that controls all gambling legislation in Colombia is the Coljuegos. In order to open a casino in the country, you must first obtain a license from these. With the eGaming Act passed in 2016, online gambling is also regulated in this South American country. There are no limitations on what operators can apply, so there are both offshore and national online casinos available to Colombian players. The first operator to obtain a license from Colijuegos to serve users in Colombia was Wplay. This happened in 2017.
However, illegal operators remain an issue for the country. The Coljuegos have made attempts in the recent past to clamp down on unregulated online gambling, but many unlicensed international casinos still operate in the area. Playing at these casinos carries a considerable degree of risk. That's because players are not going to be protected by any sort of jurisdiction. This means, in theory, if you were to run into a problem with your money at a casino, then it could be very difficult to get it back or to make a claim. It is unlikely that this would happen though as casinos rely on customers returning to make more money.
Localized Online Casinos
With the law stating that is legal to gamble online in Colombia, there are regulated online casinos targeting Colombian audiences. That being said, there is a range of online casinos that will operate in the country with a license. Many of these will be available in Spanish, which is the first language of the country. Many online live dealer games will be available in Spanish and there will also be live support offered in the language in many cases. While here, it's good to note that live dealer gambling regulations were introduced very recently in May 2020. So, finding them at regulated sites isn't all that easy.
Many of the casinos that operate in the country will allow players to claim welcome bonuses and other promotions. Still, players should be sure to check if there are any restrictions in place beforehand in case they join unregulated operators. The only real issue that Colombians are likely to encounter is finding a casino that will accept players from there.
Gambling with the Colombian Peso
Gambling online is legal in Colombia, and as such, you are going to find several online casinos that allow players to make deposits in the local currency, the Colombian Peso. Many international casinos will also use EUR, USD, CAD, AUD, and other popular currencies. One option that has become increasingly popular for players in Colombia is cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. This type of currency is becoming more and more common at casinos and is not currently regulated in any way or prohibited in Colombia.
Casinos in Colombia
Gambling in Colombia is very popular and there is a selection of top casinos to choose from throughout the country. Bingo is another popular pastime and there are bingo halls available that are regulated by the Coljuegos. These are very popular in the country. As well as this, Colombia is famously a passionate sporting nation and as such, sports betting is also very popular there.
Online casinos and sports betting in the country are legal and are regulated by the Coljuegos. As a result of this, if players want to play at online casinos can do so on sites that are operating with a gambling license. ColBet and BetPlay are, for example, some excellent and trusted picks for those who want to play at regulated online casino websites in Colombia. As for what games you'll find there, know that plenty of popular providers operate in the country. Playtech, Pragmatic Play, Spearhead, and NetEnt are to name a few.
If you choose to play at a casino that does not have a gambling license instead, then you must be aware of the fact that you are not protected under any jurisdiction and that if you run into any problems with money, then you may find it difficult to get it back. As such, if you do plan on using an unlicensed casino, we recommend you find a site that is recommended by GoodLuckMate and make sure you do your research beforehand. Many of the casinos, despite operating without a license, will still be able to offer players a wide selection of different gaming options including slots and table games, some of them may also have a sportsbook.
Dispute resolution – can I get help from a third party?
A gambling license is intended to protect players, and one of its main functions is to provide a mechanism for resolving disputes when they come up. If you have a dispute with a casino, and the casino is being unreasonable, the gambling authority will help you. For many licenses, this means you can contact the gambling authority to get help processing your withdrawals, claiming money the casino has debited from your account, or resolving other disputes that might arise. The likelihood that the gambling authority will help you in ways that are effective, however, depends on the procedures they have in place for this. This is yet another reason why choosing to play at a casino that has a safe license is important.
Getting help directly from the gambling authority is not always necessary, or even an option. A lot of regulators have now enforced third-party dispute resolution. This means casinos must have an agreement with an arbitrator who will look into disputes on the behalf of players from a particular casino. This ensures your dispute will be reviewed by an objective third party. All trusted online casinos have information about arbitration on their websites if they use this option, or they’ll have the contact information for the gambling authority you should consult. However, you should always try to resolve your issues with the casino first, and a lot of casinos have separate email addresses specifically for handling complaints.
Secure payments – can I trust a casino with my money?
If you’re worried about the security of the transactions you’re making at a casino, you should look for a logo with the acronym PCI DSS. This stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, and this is something the payment industry has created. If you see this logo, it means the casino can be trusted for safe money transactions since they follow all of the rules set by the payment industry. Information about this can also be found in an FAQ section on the casino’s website.
Another thing to look out for in terms of payments is where your money is kept while you play. Some gambling authorities, all of the best ones actually, regulate what the casino can do with your money while they are holding it. Your money shouldn’t go into a general bank account held by the casino; it should go into an account that is strictly for holding player funds. This means that as long as you have the money in your player account, it can’t be spent by the casino. Your deposit will be kept separate from the operating funds of the casino until your player account is empty, which will happen if you make a funds withdrawal or if you lose the money while playing.Fair gaming – do the games give me a fair chance to win?
The best known system tool for ensuring that a casino offers fair games is eCogra; however, there are other providers that also offer these kinds of systems. You want to make sure that the casino is using a certified third-party control system to ensure that the games of chance you’re playing are actually based on chance and not on other types of metrics. Rigged games are ones that have been set up to pay out less than they claim to or ones that give some players a greater chance of winning than others.
The eCogra logo can often be found in the footer of the casino’s website, but not all casinos choose to display it. If you can’t see this logo, go to the FAQs and see if you can find information about random number generators. If there are no FAQs on the site, check out their terms and conditions or contact the casino’s support and ask how they ensure their games are safe.
Encrypted website – how is my information kept safe?
An SSL-encrypted website should be mandatory for any casino, and very few casinos operate without this or similar safe encryption features. Always keep in mind that you are giving the casino quite a bit of sensitive information, including your payment details. When you’re uploading and sending documents to verify your identity, you want to make sure that no unauthorized third-party has access to them. Site security, therefore, doesn’t only include the website itself but also what the casino does on the backend. You should always look into a casino’s data security. You’ll normally find information about this in their terms and conditions and their privacy policy. If in doubt, contact their support and ask for more detailed information.
Most trustworthy casinos have information about site security in the website footer, so simply scroll down and look for the logo of a well-known security system.
Gambling license – can I play at a casino from my country?
The gambling license a casino operates under will have a big impact on your security. Not all licenses are equally safe for players for the simple reason that they are issued by different gambling authorities that work in different ways and have different rules. The rules and regulations may be quite similar, but the way they are enforced is a different story entirely. For example, if a casino doesn’t comply with the regulations, some gambling authorities may just issue a fine while others may revoke the casino’s license outright. How often gambling authorities show up for an unscheduled inspection or control will also vary.
The biggest differences between a safe, high quality gambling license and one that isn’t as good will usually show up in the areas of fair gaming, dispute resolution and the rules and systems for identifying and handling problem gamblers (responsible gambling). If your country of residence has its own gambling authority, playing at casinos that are licensed by them will be the safest option for you. Other international licenses that can be trusted are issued by the Malta Gambling Authority and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority. Curacao eGaming is getting better at protecting players whereas licenses from Panama and Costa Rica, for instance, are considered less safe. The worst option is obviously a casino with no license whatsoever.
Our casino experts have tried and tested all aspects of each and every casino, so you can feel confident when signing up.
