A recently approved bill in Congress formally recognises esports as a sporting discipline, potentially expanding the scope of online betting offerings and enabling further development of the national esports infrastructure. However, the bill does not include games that are not recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) such as Counter-Strike 2 (CS2), League of Legends (LoL), and Valorant.
The bill, known as Draft Law 026 of 2024, has been approved by the Senate and is now awaiting presidential assent. Once enacted, it will incorporate esports into Colombia’s National Sports System, allowing for the creation of official esports clubs, leagues, and federations. It also permits public funding for professional players – referred to as “cyber-athletes” – to support participation in competitions and training programmes.
At the bulletin published by Colombia’s gambling regulator, Coljuegos, Ciro Solano Hurtado, President of the Colombian Olympic Committee, highlighted the potential for young people to engage more actively in competitive gaming under the new legal framework. However, he also specifically cited the IOC’s recognition of esports: “Thanks to this new regulation of esports, many young people will now be able to practice what is already recognised by the International Olympic Committee as a sport”.
Esports recogised by the IOC include motorsport through Gran Turismo, chess through Chess.com, and dance through Just Dance, but leaves popular games like CS2, LoL, and Fortnite out of it.
The story looks similar to a recent development in Brazil, which in April published an amendment to a regulatory bill to include gambling in games beyond IOC recognition. That may be the natural path also to Colombia as Marco Emilio Hincapié, President of Coljuegos, mentioned that “these sports are both the present and the future, which is why we are not going to be left behind by technological advancements”.
“These sports will help energise and expand the offering of the online betting sector that we regulate,” Hincapié added.
According to Coljuegos, 14 licensed operators currently offer online gambling in Colombia. With the new legislation in place, these operators will be able to expand their betting markets to include more esports-related events, thereby enhancing the sector’s appeal to younger audiences and potentially increasing industry revenues. Hincapié noted that the move could also lead to higher financial transfers to support public health and peace-building programmes.
Between January and March 2025, internet-based gambling in Colombia recorded more than COP 4.6 trillion (approx. $1.17 billion) in wagers, with traditional sports events remaining the most popular category among bettors.
