The Association of Lottery and Quiniela Employees (AFAL-COFE) rejected any exception that would allow advertising or sponsorship by unauthorized betting operators during the 2026 CONMEBOL Libertadores final, scheduled for November 28 at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. The union reacted on September 21, 2026 to efforts attributed to the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) and CONMEBOL to ease the application of Decree 366/017 during the event.
Since 2017, Uruguay has maintained a framework that prohibits the commercial promotion of unauthorized gambling. Law 19,535, through Article 245, enabled the blocking of websites, financial flows, advertising, commercial communications and sponsorship, while Decree 366/017 of December 21, 2017 implemented those restrictions. The National Directorate of Lotteries and Quinielas (DNLQ) had reported 1,730 illegal gambling websites blocked as of July 29, 2026, and recognizes Supermatch as the only authorized online sports betting platform in Uruguay.
AFAL-COFE argues that the dispute goes beyond a one-off exemption and could affect Uruguay’s regulatory model as online betting expands. The union also questioned the AUF for receiving resources generated by the legal gambling system while, according to AFAL-COFE, at the same time promoting conditions that could benefit operators not supervised by the DNLQ.
En la foto: Ignacio Alonso, tesorero, en la sede de la AUF. Foto: Javier Calvelo / adhocFOTOS
Ignacio Alonso
The AUF is chaired by Ignacio Alonso; its Executive Committee includes Andrea Lanfranco, Matías Pérez, Eduardo Ache, Carlos Manta, Eduardo Mosegui and Sergio Pérez Lauro.
CONMEBOL, chaired by Alejandro Domínguez, confirmed Montevideo as host city on March 19, 2026. It will be the second single-match Libertadores final staged in Uruguay, after the 2021 edition. The Libertadores Experience will also be held in Montevideo from November 25 to 27. AFAL-COFE said that if CONMEBOL’s commercial contracts conflict with Uruguayan law, the agreements should be adjusted or another venue should even be considered, rather than changing national rules.
