Colombia football league sues Coljuegos for betting revenues

Colombia’s top-flight football association is reportedly suing the Colombian egaming regulator Coljuegos over claims it is owed revenue from regulated online sports betting.

The División Mayor del Fútbol Profesional Colombiano (Dimayor), which represents the top two divisions of Colombian football, claims that online sports betting businesses licensed by Coljuegos are using team names and associated logos and trademarks without compensating the sport.

A previous revenue-sharing arrangement between Dimayor and Coljuegos was under negotiation in 2017, before the market went live, but a change in leadership at Dimayor derailed these negotiations and no agreement was made.

Dimayor attempted to launch its own football betting product in 2005 in partnership with Intralot, with the league receiving 4% of all sports betting sales, however, Ganagol as it was known, was scrapped for failing to meet sales forecasts.

In May 2018, Dimayor along with Coljuegos penned a cooperation agreement with local gaming operator trade association Asojuegos aimed at ensuring transparency in online sports betting to preserve match integrity.

A total of 15 operators are licensed to run online sports betting in Colombia, including websites belonging to Codere, Sportium and Rush Street gaming.