Esports Betting Becomes Legal in Colombia Following New Legislation

Colombia has now recognized esports as an official discipline, and not only that – but added it to the country’s list of available betting market options.  

This follows an approval from Congress and lawmakers who voted unanimously to make it legal for Colombians to place a wager on the outcome of such video games as Dota 2, Counter-Strike 2, Valorant, League of Legends, and many others. Bill 026, introduced in 2024, cleared all procedural hurdles, paving the way for esports betting.

Esports Betting Becomes the New Normal in Colombia

As a result, the country’s online gambling regulators will be able to provide esports betting options for their customers and further engage with younger demographics of the legal gambling age. President of Coljuegos, Marco Emilio Hincapié, commented on the legislation’s passage and its implications:

“Esports already have legislative backing. We know that these sports are the present and the future; that is why we are not going to be left out of these technological advances. These sports will allow us to boost and expand the offer of the online gambling sector that we regulate.”

The bill furthermore allows esports to be integrated into the National Sports System, essentially elevating the competitions to a sport. Excitement for this move was also shared by the President of the Colombian Olympic Committee, Ciro Solano Hurtado, who welcomed the move and added: “We will be able to have many young people practicing what today the International Olympic Committee has already recognized as a sport.”

Apart from ushering in higher interest in electronic sports and associated esports betting activities, this move will de facto allow the ecosystem to expand, bringing in sponsors and capitalizing on advertising opportunities, bolstering esports’ overall footprint without tying it to esports betting, a problem that mainstream sports often suffer from.

For the Good of Esports in Colombia

GAT CEO José Aníbal Aguirre was similarly pleased, arguing that the future of esports in Colombia was indeed bright. “We have achieved an alliance for the development of esports tournaments in Colombia. We hope to take our cyber-athletes to international championships to represent our country.”

Esports is becoming an important staple of sports and betting culture, with companies such as BETER joining the Esports Integrity Commission to ensure that global integrity for the discipline is maintained. Oddin.gg recently teamed up with Coolbet to provide the brand with advanced esports betting solutions, allowing it to boost