WILLEMSTAD, THE HAGUE - Curaçao is currently working on a plan to tackle and better regulate the offshore gambling offer. An independent supervisor should help with this. Minister Sander Dekker of Legal Protection and Undersecretary of the Interior and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops write this as answer to written questions from the Lower House of the Dutch Parliament. This action plan is expected to be adopted this month.
About 12,000 sports betting and casino gaming websites are active on the island, according to the journalistic platform Follow The Money (FTM). Together they make up almost 40 percent of the global unregulated supply. The Curaçao government does not seem to be able to do anything to tackle the sector.
The Netherlands is increasing the pressure by imposing conditions on the financial support. “The cabinet takes the concerns about illegal games of chance on Curaçao seriously and has therefore made agreements in the National Package about the reform of the offer in online games of chance,” Dekker writes in the letter.
Among other things, work is being done on legislation and regulations that provide for an independent supervisor. It will also issue and maintain licenses where necessary, subject to license revocation. Finance Minister Javier Silvania writes on his Facebook page that the action plan has now been submitted.