WILLEMSTAD – Minister of Finance Javier Silvania has admitted that issuing sublicenses in the online gambling sector was never the intention of the legislature when the gambling law was drafted in 1997.
The system of master and sublicenses was a creative invention of the five license holders who did receive a license from the Curaçao government. The ministry estimates that these five license holders have issued around 1,100 sublicenses in the form of a license agreement. However, the Curaçao government has no visibility on this, and the five master license holders have refused to provide information to the Gaming Control Board, making it impossible to adequately supervise the activities of these sublicense holders.
On April 19th, members of the Dutch Parliament submitted questions to the Secretary of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Legal Protection regarding the article “Zelensky wants action against Russian gambling companies in Curaçao,” published on the website of investigative journalism bureau Follow The Money on April 18th.
The article refers to sanctions imposed by the Ukrainian government against companies and individuals who used “gambling business schemes” against Ukraine. Research has shown that at least eight online gaming companies listed on the sanctions list are based in Curaçao, prompting questions about how Curaçao supervises the online gaming sector and what measures have been taken in recent years to combat crime in this sector.
Curaçao has been asked to provide support in answering the parliamentary questions and has given this the highest priority given the seriousness of the situation. The fact that Curaçao-based online gaming companies have been placed on Ukraine’s sanctions list is of great concern to the Curaçao government, and this has led to an investigation into this information through public sources and diplomatic channels in collaboration with the Gaming Control Board.
The Landsverordening op de kansspelen (Gambling Ordinance) enjoys priority for the Curaçao government. The submission of the draft ordinance to the Council of Advice for advice is now scheduled for May. The Social Economic Council has already provided advice on it. After incorporating the advice of the Council of Advice into the draft ordinance, it will be submitted to parliament. It is expected that the Gambling Ordinance will be discussed in the third quarter of 2023 in parliament.
Bron: Curacao Chronicle
Naschrift KKC
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