The senior official participated in the installation of the sixth edition of 'Laft América, zero tolerance with money laundering', together with Juan Carlos Restrepo Escobar, president of Asojuegos, a union that brings together and represents the gaming industry in the country and organizer Congress, and Hernando José Gómez, President of Asobancaria.

The first day of the international event, in which more than 2,000 people from 20 countries were connected during the first day, will be closed by the President of the Republic, Iván Duque.

The minister went beyond recognizing the prestige that the sector has gained thanks to the implementation of effective strategies to protect itself from the penetration of money of illicit origin; He also highlighted its importance for other areas of the country: “In economic matters, the sector of games of luck and chance has been and will continue to be an important ally, particularly for economic reactivation and social development. In labor matters, it is a sector that generates around 200,000 direct and indirect jobs, consolidating itself as one of the most important for the national economy, and a key actor for reactivation with a significant presence in all territories ”.
The Minister made reference to the contribution that the sector makes to public finances, highlighting that in 2019 it contributed 1.7 trillion pesos to the nation (around 0.2 percent of GDP): And, although in 2020 the contribution was lower, of 1.22 trillion, as a consequence of the lower income, we hope to achieve a significant contribution by 2021, which is in line with the economic recovery ”.

In this sense, he recalled that these resources have been important to support projects aimed at improving the health of Colombians through their contributions to the subsidized health regime, aimed at the most vulnerable people, as well as pensions, which are collected and transferred by Coljuegos.

For his part, Restrepo Escobar said that precisely academic events such as Laft America have contributed to keeping the companies in the sector updated and trained through different meetings within and outside the country, which have been fundamental for them to have great prestige today.