Casinos and Bingos in Colombia depend on an approval by the national authority to be able to reopen establishments and guarantee the provision of 6000 jobs generated by the sector
Gaming entrepreneurs in Colombia have been working on a framework for biosafety protocols. This is an important aspect to enable casinos and bingos in the region to return to their activities. The measures have been sent to the Colombian Ministry of Health and according to The President of The Colombian Federation of Gaming Entrepreneurs (Fecoljuegos), Evert Montero Cárdenas, the sector is now waiting for an official approval pronouncement by the Minister.
‘It will be an important step for the sector; now we need to be included in the reopening decrees, taking into consideration that we comply with biosafety protocols and that we can ensure the minimum risks of contagion’, said Cárdenas to an article published by the local news Vanguardia.
Casino and bingo businesses in Colombia have been facing hardships since lockdown measures were applied in the country. According to Vanguardia, the industry generates 6,000 jobs in the country, 1,500 of these are placed in the city of Santander, where 147 gaming businesses used to operate before Covid-19.
As stated by the sector’s entrepreneurs, the return of the activities is viable mainly because the structure of the establishments and the placement of physical barriers in between the casino and bingo’s machines which enables social distance for players and staff.
Furthermore, Cárdenas affirms that casinos and bingos in Colombia do not host large audiences in their space, the peaks of people’s influx has never exceeded 50% of the capacity, being an important factor to ensure minimum risks of contagion and social distancing. In addition, the biosafety protocols presented by the Federation of Gaming Entrepreneurs, Fecoljuegos, encompasses measures such as: measuring peoples’ temperature before they enter in the establishment, the use of face masks and social distancing between the gaming machines.