The ambitious project to reform Curacao's gambling regulation has been thrown into a state of profound turmoil, following the mass resignation of the entire
The ambitious project to reform Curacao’s gambling regulation has been thrown into a state of profound turmoil, following the mass resignation of the entire Supervisory Board of the new Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA). The move, which took place in mid-September, has been followed by a dramatic political power shift, with Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas reportedly seizing direct control of the iGaming industry file from his own Finance Minister, Javier Silvania.
The power play was made apparent shortly after the board’s resignation, when Pisas personally met with the CGA’s management to discuss the “gambling sector.” Minister Silvania, who had been the public face and driving force behind the reforms, was conspicuously absent from the meeting. The move is being interpreted as Pisas taking charge of what is often described as “the government’s cash cow”-an industry that contributes an estimated 40 million guilders to public finances annually.
The situation has created a governance and legal vacuum at a critical time for the jurisdiction. With the departure of all its commissioners, the CGA is currently operating without a supervisory board, and the government has not yet announced any replacements.
This leadership crisis is compounded by a lack of legal clarity. The CGA was officially launched in July to succeed the old Gaming Control Board (GCB) and was placed under the remit of the Ministry of Finance. However, it now appears to be operating directly under the Prime Minister’s Office. Adding to the confusion, the new authority is reportedly not yet listed in the island’s official commercial register, despite presenting itself publicly as a foundation.
This internal government power struggle casts a long and dark shadow over the future of Curacao’s regulatory reforms. Minister Silvania had been the architect of the new National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), a comprehensive overhaul designed to modernise Curacao’s licensing system and bring it in line with international standards.
With the Prime Minister now in control and the original champion of the reforms sidelined amidst wider political pressure, the entire reform project is in a state of deep uncertainty. For the hundreds of international online gambling operators that hold or are seeking a Curacao license, this governance crisis could not have come at a worse time. The path to a more stable and credible regulatory environment in the world’s largest offshore licensing hub has just become significantly more complicated.
