Colombia: President Uribe ordered the professionalization of gaming

The project presented by president of Etesa, Mery Luz Londoño, points that slots should operate “in venues to operate this type of games or to share this games with other type of localized games”.

“Through this decree, they establish the certification of elements of online games that operate in the country, in order to assure that they have a high reliability in its operation, according to international standards and requirements established by Etesa. The entity will also support the companies authorized for that aim”, indicated the president of the entity, Mery Luz Londoño.

The measures intend that localized games will just be able to operate in venues in which the main activity is related to games of chance. In the case of slots, they will have to operate in commercial venues that operate this type of games or they may share this operation with other types of localized games. Electronic games will have to be connected with the information system of Etesa and will have to have protocols that assure the reliability of the operation.

Londoño said that the decree aims to guarantee the user the reliability of machines, though a mechanism that will soon be regulated by the Minister of Social Protection and Etesa. One of the aspects of the regulation considers Etesa as an entity of control. According to spokesmen of the entity, it brings a great advantage because Etesa will not have to prepare a special operative in order to seize illegal games and machines.

Secretary of Cali regional government, Eliana Salamanca, explained that the competence of the entity will basically be to verify that all the commercial venues comply with the legal requirements to operate.

Eliana Salamanca added that this measure has the aim to bring more power to Etesa, because there are many slots in different venues in Cali and a lot of tax evasion as well.