THE HAGUE - The control and supervision of the Curaçao government on the online gambling sector is insufficient and therefore ineffective. This is according to the Dutch Minister Franc Weerwind of Legal Protection in response to parliamentary questions following various publications in the Dutch media.
Curaçao has its own gambling laws and regulations and is itself responsible for the licensing, supervision and enforcement of the offer. But it does not do so effectively.
Weerwind writes with concern and is a reason to include two measures in the Curaçao National Package, which relate to the reform and modernization of the entire gambling sector, and in particular the online offshore gambling sector.
Sublicenses
Due to the lack of proper supervision by the Curaçao government, there is insufficient data available about, for example, the own interpretation that master licensees give to issued sub-licenses. There is no transparency, according to Weerwind.
But according to the minister, Curaçao also has no idea exactly how many licenses have been granted, who the license holders are and in which markets these providers are active.
It is therefore impossible to trace to what extent Dutch companies or interests of Dutch people are involved in the online gambling sector in Curaçao.
Risk
According to Weerwind, a lack of supervision helps maintain such a working method. It follows from this that Curaçao licensees can violate national laws and regulations in the countries they target; certainly, when these are jurisdictions where (online) games of chance are regulated, such as in the Netherlands, concludes the minister.
According to the minister, the consequences could be insufficient guarantees of consumer protection and an increased risk of money laundering via online games of chance.
The Dutch cabinet recognizes the statements made in the recently aired Argos documentary and says it was previously aware of this. In December 2021, the then Minister for Legal Protection already answered parliamentary questions about illegal casinos in Curaçao.
Criminal Activities
Although Minister Weerwind does not want to comment on possible criminal investigations or cases under the authority of the Public Prosecution Service, there is a focus within the Public Prosecutor General of Curaçao, Sint Maarten and Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba and the Joint Court of Justice to tackle financial and economic crime. According to Weerwind, this also includes criminal activities within the gaming sector.