Regulated keno goes live across Colombia
Table of contents
- Coljuegos has launched regulated keno across all 32 Colombian departments, marking one of Latin America’s first regulated blockchain-ticketed lottery products.
- The game is available through four regional operators and more than 26,000 sales terminals, with ticket prices starting at COP 500.
- Colombia’s gambling regulator projects the product will deliver COP 500bn ($135.2m) to the national health system over its first five years.
Coljuegos has formally launched regulated keno in Colombia, authorising four operators to offer the draw-based game across the country’s 32 departments.
The rollout, which went live on April 1, introduces one of the first regulated blockchain-enabled lottery products in the Latin American market.
A long time coming
Keno has circulated informally in Colombia for years. Its legal status was unresolved until Coljuegos awarded regional concessions through an open, competitive bidding process.
Four operators now hold licences covering distinct areas of the country: Operador Regional de Keno S.A.S. (Region One), Costa Operador Keno S.A.S. (Region Two), Keno Región 3 S.A.S. (Region Three), and Blinkazar S.A.S. (Region Four, including Bogotá).
Marco Emilio Hinclapé, President of Coljuegos, said:
“We are making history in the industry: for the first time in a long time, Colombians will be able to have a new game that, in addition to contributing to health, will deliver millionaire prizes to bettors.
“We hope that, in the next five years, this game will reach sales of more than COP 2.3 trillion and consolidate itself as one of the favourites of Colombians.
“We invite bettors to play Keno only at authorized points. We have designed a safe game with an attractive prize plan, which has the full support of the State. By playing legally, we are contributing to the health of Colombians.”
How the game works
Keno operates along familiar lottery lines. Players select ten numbers from a pool of one to 80. A certified random number generator then draws 20 numbers, and prizes are determined by how many selections match.
Tickets are priced between COP 500 and COP 20,000, with a maximum potential payout of COP 1.68bn per round.
Draws run every six to ten minutes depending on region, with between 144 and 240 rounds taking place daily. Operators are required to broadcast results through digital platforms, including their official websites.
The product uses blockchain technology to issue tickets, a mechanism Hinclapé described as among the first of its kind in a regulated Latin American market. The system is designed to provide full traceability of transactions and reduce the risk of fraud for both operators and players. Tickets are purchasable through more than 26,000 sales terminals nationwide.
Revenue tied to healthcare
Colombia has long channelled a portion of gambling revenue into its subsidised health system. Coljuegos projects keno will add COP 500bn ($135.2m) to that fund over the first five years of operations, with total sales expected to surpass COP 2.3 trillion across the same period.
The launch also carries an enforcement dimension. By bringing a historically unregulated product into the licensed framework, Coljuegos aims to redirect players away from illegal operators.
The regulator has intensified its crackdown on unlicensed activity in parallel, including a recent operation in Barranquilla that resulted in the seizure of around 290 illegal gambling items.
Colombia‘s regulatory environment has been active on several fronts in recent months, including a court-ordered suspension of a 19% VAT on online gambling and a shift in how that tax is applied to operators. The keno launch adds a new revenue vertical at a time when the country’s broader regulatory framework remains in flux.
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