The implementation of the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LoK) continues to progress following its passing in December 2024, as the country takes on major regulatory efforts to modernise its gambling industry.
Opposition Member of Parliament Suzy Camelia-Römer, who represents the centre-left Movementu di Pueblo, Movement for the People Party, raised the question in Parliament over LoK’s transfer of oversight and when the house could expect legislative amendments to facilitate this move.
She also emphasised her concerns around the mass resignations that impacted the board last month and urged the government to clarify whether these were part of a succession plan.
Camelia-Römer highlighted previous warnings over the impact of the Finance Ministry being solely responsible for appointments to the Supervisory Board and Board of Directors of the CGA. However, she emphasised that these warnings fell on deaf ears and impacted the stability of the bill’s progress.
As such, she called for increased transparency around the reasons and the process behind the resignations. Off the back of the departures, there were widespread rumours that Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas had reportedly taken direct oversight of the board to fulfil plans for Curacao gambling licences.
However, the government has since denied Pisas’ intervention, stating that management of the CGA must fall under the oversight of the Ministry of Justice. According to the determination, the board’s ‘reshaping’ is fairly standard, given it was shifted from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Justice, a move that took place in August.
Even amidst the governance shift, the CGA has underpinned that the implementation of the LoK is continuing as planned.
The CGA’s Aideen Shortt previously told iGaming Expert: “The transfer of ministerial responsibility from Finance to Justice is a natural progression as Curaçao’s regulatory framework matures. Having built the legal and operational foundations for the new regime, the CGA is now focused on supervision and monitoring – areas that naturally fall within the Justice portfolio.”
The CGA’s supervision shift from the Finance to the Justice department will be welcomed by many, given the challenges that Curacao’s Finance Minister, Javier Silvania, has faced.
Silvania resigned earlier in the month, taking a backseat in Parliament and moving away from Finance Ministry responsibilities.
