Offshore sports betting sites may be acting legally based on the laws in their home countries, but it doesn’t mean they are legal under US law. The Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006 (UIGEA) made it illegal for the US financial system to process transactions to gambling sites. GTBets covers betting on all major sports. NBA basketball, MLB baseball, football, including NFL and college football. Hockey, soccer from around the world, tennis, table tennis, auto racing, golf, boxing, and eSports like CS: GO, DotA, and League of Legends.
Legal sports betting in Colombia is one of the most popular ways to gamble in the country. Sports betting has always played a part in Colombian culture and the country and that is especially true for the legal sports betting landscape of Colombia heading into 2021. The Coljuegos are the countries’ online gambling regulatory agency and have created one of the safest betting environments in South America. The Coljuegos are responsible for regulating in-person forms of gambling in Colombia as well. The agency makes sure all gambling companies operating in the country are following the law. In Colombia, it is illegal to place a bet with a sportsbook that doesn’t have a government-issued license. The Colombian government has censored citizen’s websites so that they can only bet with companies that are licensed properly. Only 18 companies are authorized to operate legal sports betting operations in Colombia. The Colombian sports betting industry is just getting started and is expected to experience major growth in the upcoming years with mobile betting leading the push.
Roughly 2.63 million Colombians already use mobile devices to place their sports wagers and that number is expected to increase in the upcoming years. Mobile betting is quickly becoming the fastest way to bet on sports in Colombia. When legally sports betting in Colombia you can expect some of the universal deposit and withdrawal methods at sportsbooks. An advantage of placing online sports bets in Colombia is that the country does not tax your online winnings. The minimum age to legally bet on sports in Colombia is 18. If you’re just a visitor of the country, you’ll still be able to access other countries’ sportsbooks as well because Colombia has no laws banning offshore sportsbooks. Betting in Colombia is simple and when in the country, all legal sports betting sites will have to be translated out of the country’s national language of Spanish. It is not easy to get a license to operate a gambling company in Colombia, and the financial aspect is the biggest hurdle. Companies need to pay heavy startup taxes and then have to quickly gain the trust of bettors in the country.
Legality Of Sports Betting In Colombia
The legality of sports betting in Colombia is recent as they’ve updated their sports betting laws in the last decade to keep up with the technology boom. In 1991, the Constitution of Colombia made all games of chance state monopoly and that the revenue generated from sports betting would be used for social purposes. The 2001 Gambling Act would be added to this law to make it known that the government would be expanding its gambling operations that included dog racing, brick-and-mortar casinos, and the country lottery. A decade later, the Colombian government (the Coljuegoes) were placed in charge of regulating and policing not only Colombia’s sports betting industry but the countries entire gambling industry.
In 2016, the Colombian government enacted the eGaming Act which made online sports betting and online gambling legal. Colombia has no laws that prevent citizens from using offshore sportsbooks. More recently in 2017, the Coljuegos legalized online sports betting exchanges along with virtual sports. This was one of the final steps needed to make Colombia one of the upper echelon countries to bet on sports while also making them one of the most progressive sports betting countries in South America.
How To Bet On The Super Bowl In Colombia
It is fairly simple to bet on the Super Bowl in Colombia as it is no different than betting on any other NFL game. International sports betting sites will be offering betting lines in Columbia for the Super Bowl Throughout the year. This allows local Colombian sports bettors to log on to the sportsbooks via their smartphone or tablet and access the full-scale sports betting operation. Logging into legal sports betting sites such as Bovada will allow Chinese sports bettors to find the best Super Bowl betting lines available. Local bettors will be able to wager to win big on one of the Big Game easily thanks to international sports betting sites.
Is Online Sports Betting Legal In Colombia?
Online sports betting in Colombia is legal. Colombia was one of the first countries in South America to pass laws that allowed for the regulation of online sportsbooks. With the eGaming Act being passed in 2016, online sports betting is still relatively new to Colombia. However, the Coljuegos has done a good job of aggressively creating a safe and reliable betting environment in Colombia. One of the advantages of legal online sports betting in Colombia is that their government doesn’t tax your online sports betting winnings. The legalization of online betting has made sportsbooks offer better mobile betting platforms and gives bettors the convenience of being able to place bets through their mobile phones, tablets, or laptops.
In the first half of 2019, the Coljuegos reported that Colombia’s online gambling market grew 63% compared to the previous year, which was well above the 13% growth they expected. In Colombia, there are limited choices for choosing an online sportsbook because of the limited licenses given
out by the Coljuegos. However, it is not illegal for Colombians to gamble at offshore online sportsbooks and some of the more popular American sports like the NBA, NHL, and NFL can be bet on at legal online sportsbooks.
Colombia Sports Betting Markets
The three largest sports betting markets in Colombia are the cities of Bogotá, Cali, and Medellín. The most popular sports for Colombian bettors are football (soccer) and horse racing. Categoría Primera A is the country’s most popular football league, featuring 20 teams that change every year based on a promotion and relegation system similar to the English Premier League (EPL). The Primera A season is split into two four-month tournaments: the Apertura from February to June and the Finalización from July to December. Each of these tournaments produces its own champion. Betting on Primera A is so popular that the league’s official sponsor is actually a sports betting company.
The EPL is also extremely popular with Colombian bettors. There are five Colombian players on current active EPL rosters, which helps drive a lot of Colombian interest. After soccer, horse racing is the most popular sport in the country. Every sportsbook sets its own odds for horse races, which makes line shopping highly competitive and lucrative for smart bettors. Horse racing has been slowly rising in popularity after a previous precipitous decline. Colombian bettors can also wager on a variety of other professional sports, including basketball, boxing, American football, and baseball.
Where Colombian Sports Betting Revenue Goes
The tax revenue from legal sports betting in Colombia is spread out throughout the country. Unlike in the states where a specific casino revenue is spread within the areas budget, in Colombia, all the revenue goes into the government, and the government allocates where the revenue is distributed. An example of the allocation method is how Colombia puts the sports betting revenue into the healthcare system. The revenue is also put into the educational system and tourism. There is no set designation for sports betting revenue.
Virtual Betting In Colombia
Virtual gaming has now found its way into Colombia with the use of the Newgioco company platform. The gambling on sporting events in Colombia has a major following for futbol (soccer) but they have had to cease operations. The Coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on the sports betting market in the country which is why Colombia has welcomed its very first online virtual gambling application. Multiple new sports and games will be available for bets with this new form of wagering that in the country. Once land-based sportsbooks open again, Colombia will be home to every kind of sports betting platform that exists, on a legal level.
Find Your Country:
What are the best betting sites in Colombia?
Colombia Info | |
Status: | Legal and Licensed |
Online: | Yes |
Min Age: | 18+ |
Restrictions: | None |
Popular Sports: | Soccer, Horse Racing |
Bovada | BetOnline | SportsBetting | 5Dimes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ranking | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 |
US Accepted? | ||||
Legal States | 46 STATES EX: DE, MD, NJ, NV | ALL 50 | ALL 50 | ALL 50 |
Live Betting | ||||
Mobile Betting |
The question of whether or not it is legal to bet on sports in the US is not as difficult to answer as it once was. Sports wagering is still a controversial topic in the United States but it is no longer the most restricted form of gambling. The Supreme Court removed the federal prohibition on sports betting, leaving the choice to regulate in the hands of state governments.The decision came after a years-long battle between New Jersey and the NCAA, NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL. The leagues filed suit against the state when former Governor Chris Christie attempted to legalize sports wagering in NJ. Ultimately, the Court ruled 7-2 that the federal law banning such legalization was unconstitutional, and struck down the law. The decision in the Murphy vs. NCAA case changed the American sports betting industry.Now, we can say that it is legal to bet on sports in the United States. There is no ban stopping Arizona, Maryland, California, Mississippi, or any other state from establishing land-based sportsbooks. That being said, a state can still choose not to offer sports betting to citizens. Sports betting regulations are made on a state-by-state basis and therefore are not the same for every sports fan.It is still illegal to use local bookies and to start your own unlicensed sports betting scheme, no matter where you live. American sports bettors can visit local sportsbooks in their state or visit online sports betting sites without breaking laws.Without further delay, here are a few of the best sports betting sites that are legal for players in the United States. Note that we do use these sites and what we speak of comes from firsthand experience. There may also be state-licensed sports betting sites in addition to these:
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Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
The UIGEA stipulates that gambling businesses are not able to knowingly accept payments for wagers that are made. There are several important aspects of the UIGEA to consider. The first is that it does specifically mention that intermediary computers are not considered here, meaning that the bettors are not breaking the law. The second point to remember is that payments are only potentially blocked if using an unregulated site. The most important takeaway is that regardless of the stipulations, the UIGEA does not make placing a bet online illegal.Federal Wire Act
The Wire Act dates back several decades, but it's the 2011 ruling in the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals that sports bettors should pay attention to. That's because this ruling made the Wire Act pertain only to betting on sports. What this law stipulates is that no form of wire communication can be used by gambling businesses to process a bet or wager made. Again though, the focus of this law is on the business, and not the bettor. Also, this only applies to states where sports betting is not legal.Professional And Amateur Sports Protection Act
This law is no longer applicable, but you may still want to know its history. PASPA was passed by the federal government back in 1992, and was the first piece of major legislation against betting on sports. This outlawed the practice of sports wagering, but did give those states with a decade of more history with licensed gaming the chance to apply for immunity. Nevada, Oregon, Montana, and Delaware were the only four states permitted to offer sports betting. In 2018, the law was declared unconstitutional and all 50 states have the right to decide whether or not to legalize sports wagering.