Colombians are spending approximately $1.1 billion on gambling every year, reported RCN Radio Thursday.
Of the $1.1 billion bet annually by Colombians, approximately $825 million is spent on the lottery, according to figures from Coljuegos, a state-owned organization that is responsible for operating and managing the revenue of gambling in Colombia for “the benefit of all citizens.”
“People place more on the lottery because it pays better,” claimed Juan Valderrama, a lottery ticket seller from Bogota. According to Valderrama, ticket sales for other forms of gambling have suffered a decline of 50%.
“Colombians are certainly gamblers,” claimed Maria Clara Martinez, president of the firm that operates the lottery. From September 19 to 22, five million people reportedly bought a lottery ticket.
Valderrama mused that, “people look for luck in the lottery because they often do not earn enough at work.”