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Coljuegos, the country’s national gaming regulator of online gambling games, as well as land-based games, has reported the start of the work of Keno games on the territory of Colombia. The introduction of this gaming product is going to be a major milestone in the development of the country’s regulated gambling market, which could contribute more than 500 billion Colombian pesos to subsidize the country’s healthcare system.
The introduction of Keno is going to make the game available on the entire territory of the country, with its massive infrastructure involving 26,000 sales terminals spread over the territory of all 32 departments of the country. The game is going to be controlled by four authorized companies.
Illegal Activity vs. Regulated Gaming
Keno, being a game of Chinese origin, was initially provided in an illegal manner in Colombia. However, with the help of the newly implemented legislation, this gambling game is finally going to enter a regulated ecosystem.
This decision reflects the attempts of the Colombian authorities to regulate previously illegal gambling products and thus to improve the transparency, enhance the level of protection for the clients, and secure some consistent revenues.
Mechanics of Keno Game
Keno involves choosing 10 numbers out of the range of 1 to 80 and picking a stake worth from 500 to 20,000 Colombian pesos. After that, the game randomly selects 20 numbers from the same pool using a certified random number generator, and the results depend upon the match between the numbers selected by the user and the numbers selected by the game.
The draw takes place at an accelerated pace and takes place every 6 to 10 minutes. Moreover, the results of the drawing are available to watch via streaming services provided by licensed companies operating in the market.
Massive Availability of Keno
One of the key characteristics of the new gambling product is its wide availability, thanks to a massive sales infrastructure providing users with more than 26,000 sales points to play.
Four operational regions are created throughout the country, with each of them being provided by a different licensed company. Users have access to more information about these companies on the official website of Keno.
Keno and Healthcare Financing
The key aim of launching Keno is to ensure some revenue generation from this activity and contribute to financing the subsidized healthcare program in Colombia.
According to the statement made by Marco Emilio Hincapié, the president of Coljuegos, this event marked an important step in the history of gaming in Colombia since it allowed to create “a new game that, in addition to contributing to healthcare, will give million-dollar prizes to players.”
President Hincapié also noted: “We expect that in the coming five years, this game will achieve sales above 2.3 trillion pesos and become one of the best options for Colombians. We encourage people to play Keno only in authorized places. We have created a safe game with an attractive prize plan guaranteed by the state. By playing responsibly and legally, we contribute to improving the health of our compatriots.”
Regulated Market in Latin America
With Keno launched, Colombia will continue its position as one of the most structured and mature regulated gaming markets in Latin America. The introduction of new games to the already regulated market helps strengthen the regulatory capacity of the organization.
Source: SBC Noticias
