The Internal Revenue Service (SRI) confirmed that starting July 1, a new tax will go into effect for sports prediction sites. The portal opened a form where registration must be completed so that the domain is not affected.

In one of the sections of the SRI website, sports prediction operators can find the procedure for requesting registration in the Single Taxpayer Registry (RUC), requirements and updating, as well as the respective legal basis. The tax as such taxes the income received by operators of sports predictions made through the Internet or any other means.

Your tax base is the result of subtracting prizes paid (with withholding at source) from income, including commissions; and the rate is 15%.

Standards that must be met

• - Deliver the information for tax purposes to the SRI as dictated by the regulations.

• - Register in the registry of the single registry of RUC taxpayers.

• - Designate a representative resident in Ecuador for all purposes derived from the administration of the Single Income Tax for Sports Forecast Operators.

• - Declare and pay the Single Income Tax for Sports Forecast Operators. The Sanction If what is specified is not met, a penalty of 30 basic salaries will be imposed. Additionally, the IP address of the website through which the company operates will be blocked.

According to a Coljuegos report dated June 18, 2024, games located in the country contribute 39% of the total transfers for the health of Colombians. This year (2024), between January and April, bingo halls, casinos and electronic slot machines transferred a total of usd 30million to finance the subsidized regime and to promote scientific research.

For the same period, in the year 2022, of the total transfers to the health of Colombians by the Games of luck and chance sector was usd 20million , localized games (casinos and bingos) were the ones with the greatest contribution in collections reaching 10million pesos, with a growth of 33% more than the previous year (2021) thanks to the increase in electronic slot machines (MET's) which reach a total of 101,202 units, which represented a growth of 9 %, in 3,428 commercial establishments, which represents 14% growth compared to 2021.

For the first quarter of 2023 (January-February-March), in the Coljuegos report, localized games (casinos and bingos) made contributions to health of 86 billion pesos, games operated over the Internet, usd 20millions ; the Baloto Revancha,30 million ; SUPER astro usd 10 Millions and promotional games usd 100K. Which indicates that by the second quarter of the same year usd 50millions had been collected, this 2024 being usd 10millions below 2023, which was difficult in terms of the economy. In 2022, contributions were usd100million, with a growth of 33% more than the previous year (2021), a figure that will not be reached in 2024 since there are 6 months left for usd 70millions to be generated.

This June 18, 2024, the president of the entity, Marco Emilio Hincapié, indicated that the transfers were made by the 392 operators and 3,546 authorized gaming establishments located in the 32 departments of the country.

Thus, currently 105,451 electronic slot machines are in operation in Colombia, which represents an increase of more than 1,400 elements of this type compared to 2023. If the number of establishments is reviewed, there is an increase well below the average since the creation of Coljuegos, of only 118 between 2022 and 2024, which gives a clear example of the damage that this sector is suffering due inefficiency of the entity in the issuance of procedures.

According to estimates based on historical data and observed trends, online betting is expected to experience an increase between 30% and 40% during this important continental tournament, about $100millions.

The scandal

Colombian Professional Football, FPC, had a big shakeup on Saturday, June 22, because several referees were fired for allegedly participating in sports betting. This information has circulated through social networks and has already gained strength, taking into account that complaints about bad refereeing in Colombian football have been recurrent recently, so this would make the rumors even bigger.

The person in charge of disseminating this information was the arbitration analyst Jose Borda, who published through social networks that more than 10 judges were fired.

“For the Colombian League 2024-II, the Referees Commission removed 15 judges from the panel, including centre-backs, assistants, VAR and AVAR'S. Machado ‘sold’ some of his protégés to save his position,”

The gambling and chance sector in Colombia has demonstrated its economic and social relevance. Until April 2024, online betting has generated a transfer of $30 million to the health sector, representing approximately 40% of the total resources allocated by the industry to health and scientific research. In 2023, this figure reached $200 million.

Carlos Baeza Guíñez, founder of Carlos Baeza & Cía. Lawyers and representatives of online betting companies stressed the need to modernize the regulatory body of the gaming industry in Chile.

Their proposal is to replace the current Superintendency of Gaming Casinos (SCJ), a single-person body with a political appointment, with a collegiate, independent and technical body, similar to the regulators of other countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Nevada in the United States. Joined.

This structure, recommended by the OECD, already exists in Chile in other industries, such as the Financial Market Commission.

Baeza highlighted the importance of a modern and efficient regulatory entity. At a global level, superintendencies have evolved into autonomous and independent regulatory agencies, without the political burden that characterizes the current model in Chile.

In addition, he maintained, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has made recommendations to modernize this structure and its governance.

On the other hand, he criticized the underestimation of tax collection by the Ministry of Finance. According to him, the revenue potential of the online gaming industry in Chile exceeds the 50 million dollars calculated by the Government, considering that there are more than 2,000 platforms in the country. Baeza leads efforts to achieve a fairer and more efficient regulatory framework for the online gaming industry in Chile. In 2023, he filed complaints against the SCJ and the Undersecretary of Telecommunications (Subtel) for exceeding their powers.

During the first quarter of 2024, Coljuegos has transferred a total of $6 million to the Ministry of Science and Technology, resources that will be used to promote and strengthen research, scientific development and technological innovation in the country.

The president of Coljuegos, Marco Emilio Hincapié, explained that the transfers made to the Ministry come from the total collection of the gambling sector, which is estimated at more than $100 million between the months of January and April of this year. “In addition to transferring to the health sector through different entities, from the entity we are also making a contribution to the transformation and scientific research in our country,” said the president.

And he added: “This means that, on average, at the end of the year, we expect to transfer more to the Ministry of Science and Technology, which represents about 12% of the total budget of said entity.”

Thus, taking into account all the recipient entities, Coljuegos has transferred a total of $100million in the first quarter, and it is expected that, at the end of the year, the entity will reach $300million in transfers for health and scientific research. from the country.