Colombia’s Gambling Authority Inspects Slot Integrity
Colombia’s gambling authority, the Colombian Federation of Entrepreneurs of Games of Luck and Chance otherwise known as Fecoljuegos is currently examining the standards of slot machines in the country. They have announced plans to summon a working group together to inspect the country’s slot machine reliability before testing machines against international standards.
Colombian gaming authorities will meet to examine current and future slot machine standards. ©Ays Be/Unsplash
How will the inspection work?
The first step of this slot machine overhaul happened recently when Fecoljuegos’ chairman Evert Montero Cárdenas announced on a Zoom conference that a working group will form on October 19 to examine the country’s slot machine standards.
The matter revolves around whether Colombia’s slot machines stand up to the international standards that have been set for slots. Colombia’s gaming authority wishes to be compliant with these standards, both for the safety of local fans and to better appeal to visitors from around the globe.
Specific regulations have been set within Colombia by Coljuegos, the Industrial and Commercial Company of the State Administrator of the Rent Monopoly of the Games of Luck and Chance. Coljuegos’ current leader César Augusto Valencia Galiano and the rest of the organization wish for Colombia’s gaming standards to be on par with international regulations.
The first step of Tuesday’s working group will be reviewing these new regulations from Coljuegos. They will inspect where current machines stack up, and then put forth a protocol for getting machines up to standard gradually.
What prompted this review?
This particular discussion goes back to at least December 2019, when Decree 2372 was published as a part of the National Development Plan in Colombia. This decree spoke specifically to the regulation, transparency and profitability of Colombia’s gaming industry.
Within this decree, it was decided that any slot providers that met the agreed-upon standards would be given the option to legally operate by paying a license fee to the Colombian gambling authority. Those who did not comply would not be issued licenses. It also stipulated that Coljuegos would have some time to decide on said standards.
The importance of gradual implementation
The original decree and current discussions rely heavily on a concept of gradual implementation of new standards. This essentially refers to allowing for a transition period for gaming authorities to catch up with standards.
It also refers to creating the standards themselves. Though Colombia might eventually have its own set of slot machine rules that only apply within its territory, Coljuegos found it important for international standards to be met in the interim period.
They are also aware that it takes a significant investment of time, money and labor to adapt old machines to new standards and to create brand new slot machines as well. The rule gives plenty of leeway to manufacturers and operators, specifying that they should have at least ten years to meet new standards.
Legality and transparency continues in Colombia’s gaming industry
This push is another step in Coljuegos’ ongoing efforts to better regulate Colombia’s gaming industry. Throughout the summer, Coljuegos worked with national police to conduct raids on illegal gaming establishments and seize unlicensed machines. From 2020 to 2021, Coljuegos seized more than 800 illegal slot machines.
Coljuegos also reported a significant jump in earnings this August after a challenging time period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the main areas of growth was clearly online gaming, which was one of the few possibilities for gamblers in the midst of casino closures and general lockdowns. With online slot machines being another hugely popular gaming vertical, it is logical that the gaming authority would want to regulate this area as much as possible going forward.
