Colombia's Coljuegos proposes Pre-NUC identification for slot machines

Colombia’s gambling regulator, Coljuegos, has launched a public consultation on a draft resolution that would introduce a Preliminary Unique Identification Number (Pre NUC) for electronic slot machines entering the country. The proposed identifier is designed to be assigned before machines reach the market, after which they would be converted into the permanent Unique Coljuegos Number (NUC) that operators already use in inventories and reporting systems.

Consultation and timeline

The regulator will accept comments on the proposal from July 29 to July 31, with submissions closing at 6:00 pm local time. The consultation forms part of a broader push to tighten oversight across the import, sale, and eventual operation of gaming equipment in Colombia.

Connection to the Registry of Importers and Distributors

The Pre NUC initiative follows the recent launch of Colombia’s Unified Registry of Importers and Distributors (RIC), which is now mandatory for any business involved in importing or selling slot machines, gaming equipment, spare parts, and components. Under the RIC framework, importers are required to report the final destination of each item within ten days of customs clearance, and Coljuegos is coordinating the system with the country’s tax and customs authority, DIAN, to cross-check import records against regulatory data.

Market scale and enforcement figures

Approximately 109,000 authorized electronic slot machines are currently operating across more than 3,700 licensed establishments in Colombia. In 2024, imports of machines and related equipment exceeded $22.5m, according to previously published Coljuegos data. The identification measures are also part of an enforcement push: Coljuegos reported seizing 3,047 unauthorized gaming items during 95 enforcement actions across 15 departments in 2025.

Health system contributions and audit rating

Localized gambling, including casinos and bingo venues, transferred COP378.27bn ($94.6m) to Colombia’s subsidized health system in 2025. That figure represented 39% of all gambling-sector collections and a year-on-year increase of 9.3%. Earlier this month, the Comptroller General’s Office (Contraloría General de la República) gave Coljuegos a rating of 4.93 out of 5 after auditing its 2024 and 2025 operations. The regulator also improved its accounting opinion from a qualified to an unqualified status during the review period.