New Ibero-American lottery to finance the fight against the effects of climate change
In one of the most ambitious initiatives in the gaming sector, Coljuegos proposed during the 9th Ibero-American Gaming Summit the creation of a regional Ibero-American lottery, whose economic benefits would be dedicated to protecting vulnerable regions, such as the Amazon and the Guaraní, which are seriously affected by climate change. The president of Coljuegos, Marco Emilio Hincapié, presented the proposal to representatives from ten countries, highlighting the importance of channelling resources for environmental protection through responsible gambling.
The idea behind the Ibero-American Lotto aims to engage the region’s regulators in raising funds to support concrete actions against the effects of global warming. Hincapié emphasised that the lottery would not only serve as a funding tool but also as a symbol of the social responsibility that the gambling sector, both face-to-face and online, must assume.
‘We hope that regulators will commit to the Ibero-American Lottery to obtain resources that will allow us to protect the Amazon and Guaraná, two regions seriously affected by global warming,’ Hincapié reiterated.
Progress on regulation and international cooperation
During the summit, held in Lima on 27-28 May, participants signed a memorandum of understanding for the creation of an International Commission of Gaming Regulators. This agreement aims to share experiences, strengthen the industry, and support countries in consolidating their regulatory bodies.
The memorandum includes a proposal to establish a regional guild to combat illegal gambling and promote collaboration among regulators. ‘With this integration, we seek to improve the efficiency, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability of the industry,’ said Hincapié, who also highlighted Coljuegos’ regional leadership in regulation and control.
Trends and challenges in the gaming sector
The president of actively participated in the panel ‘Current situation and short-term trends of gaming in Latin America’, where he analysed how digitalisation is transforming the market. The emergence of international operators, evolving regulations, and the need to adapt legal frameworks to the digital reality were central issues.
The online and face-to-face gambling sector faces significant challenges in terms of taxation, control of illegal gambling, and consumer protection. The summit provided a platform for discussing strategies to enable regulators to keep pace with new trends and user demands, particularly in an increasingly digitalised environment.
The impact of artificial intelligence and technology on the sector
In the panel ‘Reg-Tech and the impact of AI in the gaming sector’, Hincapié presented Coljuegos’ advances in the use of artificial intelligence for the control of illegal online gaming, the optimisation of internal processes, and the technological modernisation of the entity. The implementation of solutions based on artificial intelligence enables the detection of fraud patterns, streamlines license management, and improves transparency in the gaming sector.
The integration of advanced technologies is essential to ensure the safety of users and the efficiency of regulators. The use of artificial intelligence and other digital tools is revolutionising the way online gambling is monitored and operated, enabling greater responsiveness to emerging threats and challenges.
This article was first published in Spanish on 2 June 2025.
