The Colombian regulator has revealed it is stepping up work on a new responsible gambling policy for the country’s market.

Coljuegos president Marco Emilio Hincapié said the policy’s objective is to promote a culture of responsible betting and raise awareness among players about the risks associated with problem gambling.

The document will continue being developed throughout 2024, with Coljuegos and Colombia’s relevant unions seeking to emphasise prevention, education and treatment of those facing gambling harms.

Hincapié said: “At the entity, we have led different working groups with operators to define the guidelines that allow us, on the one hand, to raise awareness about the possible negative effects of compulsive gambling, and, on the other hand, implement measures such as betting limits, messages warning and self-exclusion tools.

“Fortunately, we have found full willingness on the part of the operators. The common purpose is to protect consumers, especially those who are more vulnerable, such as young people and people with gambling addiction problems.”

The document was unveiled last Friday in an event which brought together Coljuegos and other relevant stakeholders including Mariela Huenchumilla Fritz of the International Alliance for Responsible Gaming and corporate manager of responsible gaming of the Sun Dreams Latam casinos, based in Chile.

The document, once finalised, will be submitted for debate in the Congress before potentially being approved.