Colombia’s regulated online gambling market is still digesting a major tax pivot: moving the 19% VAT base from player deposits to gross gaming revenue (GGR). In an interview Evert Montero Cárdenas, president of industry body Fecoljuegos, called the change “a major step forward” — but stressed it should be seen as a starting point, not the finish line, for a sustainable operating framework.
Montero argued the real challenge is not “whether to pay taxes,” but whether taxes are designed to match the economics of the business. He said the deposit-based model was especially harmful, while the GGR-based approach opens room for “intelligent growth” without self-destruction — a clearer, more predictable, investment-safe baseline for licensed operators.
Additional reporting shows why the change mattered. Other informs noted the shift was confirmed through an emergency decree and kept the 19% rate while changing the base to GGR, with Fecoljuegos warning the prior model “did not reflect the sector’s economic reality.” ;News added that Colombia’s recalibrated structure implies an average tax demand of ~34% of GGR, combining 15% gaming rights plus 19% VAT, after industry pressure over a framework that could push the burden above sustainable levels.
The political and legal backdrop remains fluid. The deposit-based VAT was introduced as an emergency measure in February 2025 and later reworked, but court scrutiny over emergency powers has increased uncertainty about the long-term shape of the regime.
