WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao Parliament has cancelled a public meeting scheduled for Thursday, September 24, at which Finance Minister Charles Cooper was expected to face questions about the investigation into funds connected to the implementation of Curaçao’s new gambling legislation, the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (Landsverordening op de kansspelen, LOK).
Parliament Clerk S.R. Cijntje informed the media on September 23 that the meeting, originally scheduled for 9:00 a.m., had been cancelled until further notice at the request of the members who had asked for the debate. One of the agenda items was a discussion with the Finance Minister concerning the investigation into funds related to the LOK.
The National Ordinance on Games of Chance entered into force on December 24, 2024, introducing a new regulatory framework for Curaçao’s gambling industry, including online gaming. Under the legislation, the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) became the regulator responsible for licensing and supervising the online gaming sector.
The cancellation comes while controversy continues over expenditures by the CGA and contracts related to the implementation of Curaçao’s reformed online gambling regime.
The debate was originally requested by the PAR faction. PAR leader Quincy Girigorie previously said his party wanted Parliament to have direct input into the government’s investigation and wanted questions previously raised by lawmakers about the implementation of the LOK to be included in the investigation.
The controversy intensified after questions emerged concerning an XCG 8.3 million figure associated with the CGA and work performed by Malta-based Random Consulting Limited.
Subsequent information indicated that the XCG 8.3 million represented a broader item in the CGA’s 2026 budget covering investments and expenditures connected to further implementation of the National Ordinance on Games of Chance, rather than an established annual payment of XCG 8.3 million to Random Consulting.
Random Consulting has disputed suggestions that it received XCG 8.3 million annually. The company has said it received a total of €3.426 million from the CGA between 2022 and 2025 for work that included development and maintenance of the online licensing portal, technical support, assistance with licence applications and administration of the licensing system.
The controversy has gained additional significance following the discovery of unauthorized access to the CGA’s online gaming portal.
The regulator confirmed this month that its licensing portal had been accessed without authorization. According to the CGA, access was obtained through the customer-facing section of the portal using an account registered in December 2025 under a false identity.
The CGA said the unauthorized access continued until September 2026, when it was discovered and terminated. The regulator has said that the full extent of the material obtained has not yet been established and that security measures have since been strengthened.
The portal plays a central role in Curaçao’s new gambling regulatory system. Applications for licences to offer online gaming in or from Curaçao, as well as certain supplier licences, must be submitted through the CGA portal under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance.
Questions surrounding CGA spending and implementation of the LOK are therefore unfolding at the same time that the regulator is dealing with international scrutiny over the security breach and the handling of confidential licensing information.
Parliament’s September 23 letter does not explain why the lawmakers who requested Thursday’s meeting subsequently asked for it to be cancelled.
It also provides no new date for the debate.
The official notice states only that the September 24 public meeting, including the agenda item concerning the investigation into LOK funds, has been cancelled until further notice at the request of those who originally requested the meeting.