{"id":13036,"date":"2025-07-31T13:32:43","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T13:32:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/?post_type=gambling&#038;p=13036"},"modified":"2025-07-31T13:32:43","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T13:32:43","slug":"costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust","status":"publish","type":"gambling","link":"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/colombian-gambling-news\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust\/","title":{"rendered":"Costa Rica targets illegal lottery operations after massive \u201ct\u00f3mbola\u201d money laundering bust"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Costa Rica\u2019s government is stepping up its crackdown on illegal lottery networks following a large-scale criminal investigation known as <strong>\u201cOperation T\u00f3mbola,\u201d<\/strong> which uncovered widespread money laundering linked to unauthorized lottery sales.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On <strong>July 24, 2025<\/strong>, the <strong>Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ)<\/strong> conducted 24 coordinated raids across the country. The investigation exposed a family-run criminal enterprise that laundered nearly <strong>\u20a11 billion (approx. $1.9 million USD)<\/strong> between 2021 and 2022 through a vast network of legal and illegal lottery vendors. Authorities seized over <strong>\u20a11.3 billion<\/strong> in cash, vehicles, real estate, and construction equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/landing\/multigame-link\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\" noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"340\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/ice-london-termino-y-se-despidio-la-feria-en-imagenes-mgl-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/ice-london-termino-y-se-despidio-la-feria-en-imagenes-mgl-1.png 1000w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/ice-london-termino-y-se-despidio-la-feria-en-imagenes-mgl-1-300x102.png 300w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/11\/ice-london-termino-y-se-despidio-la-feria-en-imagenes-mgl-1-768x261.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eight people were arrested, including current and former employees of Costa Rica\u2019s <strong>National Lottery administrator (Junta de Protecci\u00f3n Social \u2013 JPS)<\/strong>, the <strong>Ministry of Health<\/strong>, and the <strong>Banco Nacional<\/strong>. The operation revealed how criminal groups used <strong>200+ retail points<\/strong> to funnel illicit lottery earnings into legitimate-looking businesses such as liquor stores, bookstores, auto dealerships, and construction firms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response, the <strong>JPS has confirmed it will support\u2014for the third time\u2014a bill to impose harsher penalties<\/strong> on illegal lottery operators. Under Costa Rican law, the current 1950 gaming statute classifies clandestine lottery sales as an administrative issue, not a criminal offense. JPS Executive President <strong>Esmeralda Britton<\/strong> called the current law outdated and ineffective in dismantling organized networks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust2-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13039\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust2-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust2-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust2.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposed reform would criminalize illegal lottery operations and include penalties of up to <strong>10 years in prison<\/strong> and fines of up to <strong>10 base monthly salaries<\/strong>. Officials argue that the legal vacuum has enabled organized crime to exploit a high-demand market while undercutting the JPS, which funds public health and social programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"564\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-13038\" style=\"width:840px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust3.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust3-300x212.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust3-768x541.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"line-height1 has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Costa Rican authorities believe that unless the law is changed, future \u201cT\u00f3mbola-style\u201d networks will continue to flourish in legal grey areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the country modernizes its regulatory and enforcement framework, the JPS is also calling on the public to report illegal sales and support only official lottery vendors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>. The investigation exposed a family-run criminal enterprise that laundered nearly \u20a11 billion (approx. $1.9 million USD) between 2021 and 2022 through a vast network of legal and illegal lottery vendors. Authorities seized over \u20a11.3 billion in cash, vehicles, real estate, and construction equipment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13040,"menu_order":92,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4916,31],"class_list":["post-13036","gambling","type-gambling","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","tag-costa-rica","tag-lotteries","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Costa Rica targets illegal lottery operations after massive \u201ct\u00f3mbola\u201d money laundering bust - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\". The investigation exposed a family-run criminal enterprise that laundered nearly \u20a11 billion (approx. $1.9 million USD) between 2021 and 2022 through a vast network of legal and illegal lottery vendors. Authorities seized over \u20a11.3 billion in cash, vehicles, real estate, and construction equipment.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/colombian-gambling-news\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Costa Rica targets illegal lottery operations after massive \u201ct\u00f3mbola\u201d money laundering bust - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\". The investigation exposed a family-run criminal enterprise that laundered nearly \u20a11 billion (approx. $1.9 million USD) between 2021 and 2022 through a vast network of legal and illegal lottery vendors. Authorities seized over \u20a11.3 billion in cash, vehicles, real estate, and construction equipment.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/colombian-gambling-news\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"562\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/colombian-gambling-news\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/colombian-gambling-news\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust\/\",\"name\":\"Costa Rica targets illegal lottery operations after massive \u201ct\u00f3mbola\u201d money laundering bust - Mundo Video Entertainment | Casino News in Latin America and the World\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/colombian-gambling-news\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/colombian-gambling-news\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.mundovideo.com.co\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/07\/costa-rica-targets-illegal-lottery-operations-after-massive-tombola-money-laundering-bust.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-31T13:32:43+00:00\",\"description\":\". 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