Colombian gaming employees sign petition for the reopening of gaming premises

240,000 families who are supported by jobs in the gaming industry in Colombia have been heavily affected by the current circumstances 

The Colombian Federation of Gaming Entrepreneurs, Fecoljuegos, states that 240 thousand families who are supported by jobs in the gaming industry in Colombia have been affected by the current circumstances. The petition aims to claim for reopening the industry, taking out of risk 60,000 jobs supported by the sector.

Fecoljuegos, highlights that casinos and bingos in Colombia have halted their operations for the past 3 months, putting these employees at risk of loosing their jobs permanently. 

Zulma Palacios, who has been working in the casino industry for over 20 years, started the petition through the online platform Change.org, which has now over 17,000 signatures. According to Palacios, employees who had signed the petition are assured that the establishments can return to their activities and are asking the National Government to reopen the sector, enabling then the employees, who count on those jobs to assist their families, to return to work. 

The Colombian Federation of Gaming Entrepreneurs, Fecoljuegos, highlights that casinos and bingos in Colombia have stopped their operations for over 3 months due to the lockdown in the country, putting at risk the loss of incomes by the sector’s employees. Furthermore, 90% of the businesses in the industry have declared to be facing financial issues and most of them are not able to comply with their obligation or to guarantee any kind of financial credit. 

Some gaming businesses in the Colombian industry has considered leaving the market, this would negatively affect the Colombian economy, said the President of Fecoljuegos Evert Montero Cárdenas. In addition, he highlighted that the association had the initiative to develop some protocols ensuring biosecurity together with epidemiologists and public health experts, with the objective of protecting the employees and customers once the Government reopens the premises.  

The structure of casinos and bingos in Colombia allows social distancing for employees and players, which is one of the main reasons why employees have signed the petition and also believe that they can return to their activities, avoiding the risk of losing their jobs. 

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