As an entrepreneur of Games of Luck and Chance in Colombia, a bingo operator for 25 years, I have been in multiple spaces, for several years ago, participating in technical tables with the regulatory entity, Coljuegos, and the unions; in order to achieve the immediate application of Article 59 of the National Development Plan of the Government of Former President Duque, Law 1955 of 2019 for Bingo as Localized Games.

In view of an unjustified delay on the part of the regulatory body for not having the Bingo online interconnection system ready, it has not been possible to allow businessmen dedicated to this subsector to immediately access a variable rate of 12%, fair and granted four years ago by the Development Plan.

Bingo operators in Colombia find ourselves in a situation of unequal treatment, which conflicts with fundamental rights of constitutional rank; economic and business stability is taking too high a risk, generating a negative impact, to the point that today several of our fellow businessmen have decided to close establishments in view of the unsustainability we face due to the high tax burden and the high operating costs that are not consistent with the rate assigned by law.

It should be noted that among the municipalities that make up Colombia, there are currently less than 100 bingo halls compared to the thousands of machines that currently operate in the country.

Today I want to express to the entity my total disagreement with the slowness to materialize this benefit and with great respect, the insistence on the urgency of guaranteeing the right of equality in the rate of exploitation rights to the Bingos as Located, complying with the mentioned Article 59 and the Resolution through which Coljuegos has the responsibility of offering the technological mechanism through which Bingos can access connectivity and reliability.

This formal and legal instrument, by means of which the objectives of the National Government were outlined, which was intended to allow benefit to a sector of the economy is not being fulfilled, and it is in the hands of Coljuegos, the entity that issues the respective connectivity regulations and reliability, for which said term is running out.

This is no longer waiting…. Bingo operators do not want an extension of the resolution times, we need immediate solutions that can generate this benefit and thus ensure sustainability and also surely the generation and increase of this modality in new establishments for said operation.