Comparison with Ecuador and Colombia (Venezuela)

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1) Three Country Summary - One Page

• Casino offline. After a ten-year ban, the authorities allowed the return of the casino in 2021 (~ 30 permits were announced), positioning it as a measure for tourism and foreign exchange earnings.
• Lotteries. A national system under CONALOT and Ley Nacional de Lotería; a centralized fiscal circuit.
• Online. There is no single Columbia-level "digital" framework; online segments develop fragmentarily, without a nationwide "white list." (The Gaming Tax Act is a fiscal rather than "online licensing" norm.)

• Casino offline. Nationwide ban after referendum (question # 7) in May 2011; the closures entered into force in March 2012. In September 2025, the Constitutional Court rejected the initiative for a referendum on the return of the casino - the ban remains.
• Betting on sports. From 2024-2025 a separate license for sports betting is formed (Decree No. 487): 5-year term, fixed annual fee; by September 2024 there were 65 registered operators.
• Lotteries. Historically, state/beneficiary lotteries operate (within national and regional institutions) - outside the subject of a casino ban.

• Online frame. Full regulation of juegos operados por internet has been in effect since 2016 under the auspices of Coljuegos (single regulator).
• "Whitelist." 15 platforms with a valid concession contract have been officially published (2024 updates).
• Enforcement practices. Active actions against illegal immigrants/unauthorized promos in social networks strengthen the sewerage system in the "white" segment.

2) Legal "skeleton": who regulates what

Venezuela. Offline casino/bingo - according to the 1997 law (return of permits from 2021), lotteries - CONALOT/" Ley Nacional de Lotería." There is no online licensing in the Colombian sense: the gaming and betting tax law distributes fiscal powers, but does not create an "internet regime" and a public domain registry.

Ecuador. Referendum 2011 closed casinos/bingo nationwide; an attempt to return to the casino through a new consultation was rejected by the Court in September 2025. At the same time, the state allocated an independent track for sports betting (license for 5 years; execution - from 2024-2025).

Colombia. The single regulator Coljuegos administers both offline modalities and online games (since 2016), publishing lists of allowed operators and updates of norms.

3) Online dimension: Three different worlds

Venezuela: "mosaic" without a single national licensing; players often go to offshore sites - there is no centralized storefront. "Ve" and unified requirements for KUS/responsible online game. For business, there is no transparent B2C license path "over the Internet."

Ecuador: Internet casinos are banned as part of the casino ban, but sports betting gets its own legal license - thereby making online betting formally "white" under the new scheme, whereas casinos are still outlawed.

Colombia: well-developed "online modality" - B2C concessions, technical requirements, monitoring and a list of permitted domains; this reduces the share of the "gray" market and gives predictability to investors.

4) Casino segment: prohibition, reactivation and mature resolution

Venezuela: political U-turn - from "total closure" under Chavez (2011) to permits-2021 (resort/hotel sites; about 30 objects).

Ecuador: ban persists; The Constitutional Court in 2025 blocked the issue of a referendum on the return of casinos.

Colombia: land casinos in the legal field; the key focus is the online segment since 2016 (accompanied by strict supervision of illegal immigrants and promos).

5) What it means for players

In Venezuela, it is safer to rely on official lotteries (CONALOT) and proven land-based casinos; online - increased risks due to the lack of a nationwide register of permitted sites.

In Ecuador, casinos are banned, but online sports betting may be legal when running with a licensee of the new system; beware of any "online casinos": they contradict the nationwide ban.

In Colombia, choose brands from the "white list" of Coljuegos - this is both protection and an understandable complaint procedure.

6) What it means for operators and investors

Venezuela: ground GGR is potentially growing in the hotel and resort segment, but online B2C entry is unregulated - the strategy should be built around an offline portfolio and/or expectations of digital reform (if any).

Ecuador: narrow but "white" corridor - sports betting under license (5 years, fixed fee); a casino product is impossible without changing the constitutionally enshrined ban (confirmed by the decision of the Court-2025).

Colombia: a mature market with a predictable online concession and public storefront; regular updates to the list of legal platforms and active enforcement reduce "regulatory risk."

7) Short answers (FAQ)

Is it possible to open an online casino in Venezuela under a local license? As of October 2025, there is no single B2C internet license - the digital casino market is not institutionalized.

And in Ecuador? Online casinos are prohibited along with land-based ones; sports betting - yes, under a new license (from 2024-2025).

Where is the whitest online trinity market? In Colombia, there is a Coljuegos frame (since 2016) and an official register of 15 platforms (2024 updates).

Three adjacent approaches form a contrast map of the region. Venezuela bets on the return of land-based casinos and relies on centralised lotteries, but without an "online skeleton." Ecuador keeps a strict ban on casinos (confirmed by the Court in 2025), while simultaneously launching licensing of sports betting as a separate vertical. Colombia remains the benchmark for digital transparency: Coljuegos online concessions and a public whitelist consolidate market maturity. For players, these are differences in the level of protection and available formats, for business - three different entry strategies: offline vector (Venezuela), narrow sports vertical (Ecuador) and a full-fledged online portfolio (Colombia).