Coljuegos updates Baloto rules with mandatory streaming, Miloto and prize changes
Coljuegos, the entity that regulates and licenses Colombia’s state gambling monopoly, has updated the regulations for Baloto in preparation for the new contract that will start in 2027. The changes focus on two key elements: mandatory live streaming and the creation of Miloto, a new, lower-cost betting option. The decision also updates prize structures, traceability requirements and the allocation of funds. The move is intended to modernise the game and strengthen the concession process for the lottery, which has become a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday ritual for millions of Colombians over the past two decades.
A new era for Baloto: Coljuegos board approves regulations and introduces Miloto
This decision, adopted by the Coljuegos Board of Directors after several ordinary and extraordinary meetings held between April and June this year, updates the technical, commercial and transmission rules of the game and introduces a new additional mechanic called Miloto (Mecánica Adicional Miloto). The new regulations do not alter the core of Baloto. Players will continue to choose five numbers between 1 and 43, plus a sixth number between 1 and 16 known as the “balotín”. This additional number plays a role similar to that of the Powerball in US lotteries. However, the rules update how draws are broadcast and how technological traceability is ensured. They also determine which other games may be offered under the Baloto brand and how revenue is distributed between prizes, advertising and the public health system, to which gambling monopoly revenue is constitutionally allocated.
Why Coljuegos decided to update the rules of the game
On 24 May 2027, concession contract C-1855 of 2022, under which a private operator currently runs Baloto on the state’s behalf, will expire. As part of its legal duties, Coljuegos must conduct a new selection process to choose the operator that will manage the game from 25 May 2027 onwards, and to do so, it first needs to update the regulations on which that new contract will be based.
According to the agreement, the Coljuegos Vice Presidency of Commercial Development carried out the technical studies that justified the changes and presented them to the Board of Directors in several meetings between April and May 2026 (ordinary sessions 258 and 261, and extraordinary sessions 259 and 260). During this process, the legal office had to resolve two sensitive points:
The legal office had to analyse whether it was possible and appropriate to transmit the draws live over the internet using streaming technology and whether this would comply with the regulations in force.
It also had to assess whether the regulations for the additional mechanic called Colorloto, an extra game previously proposed by the current operator, Operador Nacional de Juegos (ONJ), should be eliminated.
The major technical shift: draws no longer rely solely on television
One of the most visible adjustments in the new regulations concerns how the public will be able to follow the draws. Until now, the draws have been broadcast live on a television channel with nationwide coverage. Agreement 03 retains that requirement while also formalising and detailing the live online streaming of draws through the operator’s official website, digital platforms and social media.
The regulations also set out specific technical requirements:
- The operator must have a dedicated fibre-optic connection of at least 100 Mbps, a backup streaming channel that can be activated immediately in the event of a failure, and an alternate connection contracted with a different provider from the primary provider.
- The signal must always originate from the physical location where the draw takes place; the feed must also be broadcast simultaneously through at least two official social media accounts on platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitch, X or Kick, all registered with Coljuegos.
- A real-time analytics system will also be required to measure concurrent viewers, total views and unique users, among other relevant metrics. This system must include a way to log and track any technical issues that occur during transmission.
- In addition, the operator must record all draws transmitted via streaming and store those recordings for the entire duration of the concession contract and for an additional two years, so that Coljuegos and other authorities can review them whenever needed.
- On the ticketing side, game tickets must now include a unique blockchain-based security code to protect the integrity of each wager and ensure reliable traceability.
Miloto, the additional mechanic that joins Baloto and ‘Revancha’
The previous regulations covered Baloto and its complementary draw, “Revancha”. Agreement 03 formally introduces a third format, called Additional Mechanic Miloto, which operates on its own matrix: the player chooses five numbers between 1 and 39 and wins if they match, in any order, the five numbers drawn in the corresponding official draw.
The stake for Miloto is set at COP 4,000 including VAT (roughly $1.24), compared with COP 6,000 for Baloto and COP 3,000 for Revancha; its draws will take place four times a week, on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The operator may propose up to five additional draws, subject to approval by the president of Coljuegos.
The Miloto prize plan also includes a “Roll Down” mechanism. If there is no jackpot winner, part of the money will be redistributed to increase payouts in the four-number and three-number prize categories instead of rolling over indefinitely. The initial minimum top prize for Miloto is set at COP 120 million (roughly $37,177).
The regulations clarify that this framework cannot be used to authorise permanent betting games, traditional lotteries, instant lotteries, Keno, Súper Astro or similar existing lottery products, and that any additional mechanic approved must be commercially identified as a draw under the Baloto brand.
Prize funds, operating fees and the allocation of revenue
The new Title 2 also updates the figures that determine how much is paid out in prizes and how much goes to the State. The Baloto prize plan continues to allocate at least 50 per cent of gross income to prizes, with a minimum guaranteed top prize of COP 4.3 billion (approximately $1.33 million) and an accumulation mechanism that ranges between 34.244 per cent and 32 per cent of income depending on the probability that the top prize has no winner. Revancha maintains the same distribution logic, with a minimum initial prize of COP 2 billion (roughly $619,619).
Regarding operating fees, the agreement retains a variable rate of between 26 percent and 17 percent, depending on monthly draw sales, for both Baloto and Revancha. Miloto will be subject to a separate scale based on the number of tickets sold each month. The marginal rate will decrease as sales rise, reaching 17 percent once monthly sales exceed 775,001 tickets.
What comes next for users and what is at stake for the next operator
For the average user, the most visible changes will be the ability to watch draws via streaming and the launch of Miloto as a lower-cost game. Beyond these visible changes, however, Coljuegos is reinforcing the legal and technical groundwork for the tender process that will, in less than a year, decide who will operate Baloto over the next decade. The regulations are effective from their publication in the Official Gazette, the medium through which the Colombian State formally enacts its rules, and, from that moment, they set the roadmap for both the current operator and those seeking the contract from 2027.
Prospective operators will no longer be able to enter the tender with only a strong financial proposal. They will also need to demonstrate advanced technological capabilities, including blockchain-based systems and real-time analytics, raising the entry threshold for operating state lotteries in Colombia.
Note: All USD conversions in this article are based on the official exchange rate of COP 3,227.78 per USD as of 16 July 2026.
This article was first published on the Spanish SiGMA News page on 16 July 2026.
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