Forums Semana. Recently the industry took a moment to gather great experts from different topics with a close relationship within the industry to be present at the forum of gambling industry developed by Semana magazine. This, in order to talk about the evolution of the industry and to define what could make them better, which partnerships are missing in the portfolio.
The academic space in which interesting topics about the future of the industry were discussed analyzed how an industry with such changing technology has adapted in an exemplary manner to be a leader in the continent despites that it comes from a country where the tax rate is ostensibly strong, and it constantly imprisons entrepreneurs of the sector.
The industry has managed to climb positively regardless of the obstacles, and today it represents 1.5% of Colombian GDP. In the approach towards the strengthening of the industry there were strong arguments about what has been achieved, what it lacks and what awaits.
Among the challenges that the industry has is to understand how has changed the different dynamics towards the gambling sector in a country that has been urbanized, and more in an industry like this one that has a fundamental purpose which is to help the health of Colombians and that its structure always have sufficient resources, therefore, the industry must be strengthened to be sustainable over time.
Diego Molano Aponte, current councilor of Bogotá, proposes 4 strengthening pillars for the industry to remain sustainable over time:
"There are 4 roles that in the next decade the industry has to assume in a country that, in the next 10 years, 70% of the population will live in a city, and the potential of this industry relies in how this evolution is understood. The first thing is their entrepreneurial capacity, as it is an industry that must strengthen its capacity for competition. "
The other challenges are in the direction of the society such as: how the industry builds a city, what makes the industry regarding responsible consumption within the cities and finally the social inclusion that the industry has. Relating to the aspect of the health of Colombians, the General Comptroller, Carlos Felipe Córdoba in a preliminary speech said that the illegality in the sector took away in the last year 71 billion COP, with which they could have attended 90 thousand Colombians. According to the comptroller, 40% of the gambling market is considered illegal.
"We cannot look away while hospitals and health centers lose valuable resources at the hands of unscrupulous mafias" says Córdoba
This leaves a discontent of the reality in the industry, because Coljuegos has managed to inventory 97% of the slot machine park, and thousands more confiscated in operatives in conjunction with other authorities.
On the other hand, Juan Barrachina, provider of Betplay, says that "it is crazy" that the financial system does not support this industry, "in Spain 85% of transactions that are made in sports betting, are made via credit cards, debit cards and PayPal transfers. If you have registered the user, why you do not allow them to use their credit card? The companies must comply/Respond ... they all must comply with the money laundering prevention policies and if they do not their license will be removed".
On the other hand, Cesar Reyes Acevedo, delegate of the Financial Superintendence, assures that "they have mechanisms to identify those who have some problem to access the financial system, and probably the gambling sector have some inconvenience to access the services of the financial system, but we haven’t received complaints from you where you manifest those rejections to us. "
Probably you will complain directly with the banking entities, but to their supervisor, only two or three complaints in the last year are what indicate us that the gambling sector have some disadvantage with the financial system. This to clarify that we are not aware of any type of inconvenience of this particular sector, added Reyes.
Which puts in a limbo the industry, well, the multiple efforts that have been made in front of the rejection that the different banking entities have had against the gambling industry, and their operators are known.
But at the same time, it allows (this situation) to open the invitation to the financial system, to know more about the industry with all its good practices against the bleaching and misuse of this sector as a tool for money laundering, and that growth opportunities are generated for both sides.
