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Gambling regulatory authority in Colombia, Coljuegos, has announced the illegality of the raffle held by presidential candidate Santiago Botero. It should be stated that, according to the regulator’s data, no political campaign currently running in the country has the required authorization to organize such initiatives for fundraising.
It has become the subject of discussion after the event that took place on April 16 in Bogotá, during which the presidential candidate announced his candidacy with the unusual raffle offering COP 25 million split between five winners. This decision attracted the attention of the regulator because there is a quite stringent gambling regulation system in Colombia.
Absence of Authorization Equals Illegality
According to Coljuegos, any raffle or other promotional activities related to the organization of gambling initiatives require pre-approval from the agency. Otherwise, such raffles can be considered illegal. In addition, such activities can be investigated and punished accordingly.
Marco Emilio Hincapié, Coljuegos President, stressed the need to act in accordance with regulations: “We want to make it clear to the citizenry and to those aspiring to the presidency: raffles and other promotional activities are regulated, and they form the monopoly that makes it possible to allocate resources to finance the health system.”
Moreover, Hincapié stressed that none of the current presidential campaigns applied to Coljuegos for the organization of the raffle: “None of the campaigns have asked us for authorization, and we are here to make sure you understand the necessity of compliance with this requirement.”
Cash Prizes Are Illegal in the Majority of Cases
Apart from the absence of necessary authorization, there is another point of concern mentioned by the regulator: under the law, raffles cannot have prizes in the form of cash awards. Only some exceptional cases can allow cash prizes.
Therefore, in terms of the current incident, the regulator is absolutely justified in its assessment since no exceptions exist concerning the organization of raffles during political campaigns.
Public Appeal to Follow Rules Strictly
In a statement posted on their website, the regulator urged citizens to show caution when participating in any type of raffles and other promotional events.
Namely, Coljuegos stated the necessity of paying attention to the official stamp of an authorized entity that can hold a raffle, along with the resolution number.
Besides, Marco Emilio Hincapié warned about the consequences of organizing gambling activities in an improper way: “We ask citizens to abstain from participating in any draw in case the official stamp of the entity and the resolution number of authorization are missing. We also call for non-permissibility of the misuse of games of chance during election time.”
Finally, the regulator made an appeal to the political campaigns: “We invite all campaigns or candidates who seek to conduct a draw or promote themselves through games of chance in other ways to contact our authority and obtain the necessary authorization. Our door is always open to those who apply for such activities. The protection of the resources of our healthcare system is everybody’s business.”
Generally speaking, Colombia uses the monopoly model to regulate games of chance and provide funding for the nation’s healthcare needs.
Source: SBC Noticias
