Small scale compared to neighbors (Venezuela)

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1) Short lead forward

• Colombia - full online regulation since 2016 and 15 authorized platforms from Coljuegos; there are measurable fees for health care.
• Peru - MINCETUR law and regulations apply for online games and betting; there is a public regulatory framework and procedures.
• Brazil - after law 14. 790/2023 and by-laws 2024-2025, large-scale law enforcement has unfolded (blocking thousands of illegal sites) and the launch of the license regime from 2025.
• Ecuador - casinos have remained banned since 2011, but the state has allocated a separate license for sports betting (from 2024-2025), while the Constitutional Court in 2025 considered the issues of a new consultation.

2) Venezuela: what is on the "ground" and what is not "in the figure"

Offline restart. In September 2021, the authorities authorized the ≈30 of casinos after a multi-year ban - a key, but limited step.

Tourist tie-in. Permits are concentrated in hotels/tourist areas; in parallel, technical control (interconnection) over the halls was declared. (The context of the 2021-2023 relaunch is described in industry and regional summaries.)

Online vacuum. There is no national "digital" license and "white list" of sites: the online segment remains mosaic; consumers often go offshore. (Reviews and regulatory maps record the lack of a seamless online framework.)

Bottom line: in terms of channel coverage (especially the "online sports book/casino"), Venezuela is inferior to its neighbors - and this is a key factor in the "small scale."

3) Colombia as a near "benchmark"

15 operating online operators at Coljuegos are officially confirmed; the regulator regularly publishes a list of sites and contracts.

Industry media recorded that transfers to healthcare from online operators are measured in hundreds of billions of Colombian pesos (for example, in 2023 - 317,977 million COP, according to Coljuegos/Gaming Intelligence). This illustrates scale and transparency.

4) Peru: fast "import" best practices

Law No. 31557 and Regulation D.S. 005-2023-MINCETUR have built a complete online framework (operating system, certification, consumer protection). There are centralized MINCETUR pages with documents and FAQs. Scale is formed thanks to a clear entry procedure.

5) Brazil: huge demand and tight oversight

Since 2018, online betting is allowed; by 2025, an updated regime with high requirements and authorization fees came into force. In 2024-2025, the authorities blocked thousands of illegal sites (AP reported a large-scale sweep). This dramatically increases the sewerage into the "white" segment - and the absolute scale of the market is incomparable with the Venezuelan one.

6) Ecuador: "narrow but white" corridor

Despite the ongoing casino ban (referendum 2011), from 2024-2025 the state licenses sports betting with 5-year authorization and a fixed fee; in 2025, the Constitutional Court allowed to include the issue of casinos in a new consultation (on the date of publication - without lifting the ban). The scale of the online vertical of sports is already surpassing the Venezuelan digital segment.

7) Why Venezuela is smaller - structural reasons

1. Pause 2011-2020. Loss of infrastructure/manpower and investor confidence for a decade. The "market footprint" of the neighbors was not interrupted or quickly recovered.

2. Focus on offline. Restart 2021 is focused on hotels and travel zones - this is a point, not a mass channel.

3. There is no online license and registry. Without transparent "digital" modality, it is more difficult to channel demand from offshore and scale up. (Summary maps and reviews indicate a lack of a seamless online framework.)

4. Enforcement. Neighbors (Colombia, Brazil) have active blockages/supervision; this pulls the market into a "white" outline and increases its official size.

8) What Venezuela's market should do (practical)

Arrange online modality: definitions, certification, KYC/AML, responsible game, domain registry - following the example of Colombia/Peru. This will give scale (digital coverage) and transparent fees.

Link offline to digital: allow licensed casinos to have a "mirror" online storefront under uniform rules.

Enforcement by design: memoranda with communication providers/payments, regular blocking of illegal immigrants - as in Brazil.

In 2025, Venezuela is a small/medium offline market with point hotel casinos and unformed online, while neighbors are already scaling transparent digital verticals: Colombia holds the "gold standard" with 15 online operators; Peru has implemented MINCETUR regulations; Brazil combines gigantic demand with a tough sweep of the "gray"; Ecuador - albeit without a casino, but with a "white" sports license. As long as Venezuela does not institutionalize online modality and law enforcement, the scale will remain smaller than that of its neighbors - with a "loss" of traffic offshore and a shortage of fiscal revenues.