WILLEMSTAD - The Social and Economic Council (SER) has provided recommendations to the policymakers of Curaçao regarding the online gambling industry. The advice reveals that no clear vision or policy framework has been presented regarding this sector. It is important to establish how the proposed choices in the policy align with the government's objectives, says the SER. 

Additionally, the SER notes the absence of information on a sustainable public-private partnership to develop an effective and widely supported strategy for the online gambling sector. 

According to the SER, it is crucial to provide concrete guarantees in the medium and long term for strengthening and expanding this sector, so that it can become a significant pillar of the Curaçaoan economy. 

The SER also expresses doubts about the decision to reform the entire gambling sector at once instead of doing it gradually. From an efficiency standpoint, the SER is skeptical of this approach. 

Furthermore, the SER points out that the draft framework legislation (LOK 2023) does not yet include specific standards for supervising each gambling area. The concrete implementation of these standards will be established in regulatory provisions. It is of great importance that these regulations are formulated and provide insight into how the licensing, supervision, and enforcement will actually take place. 

In terms of legal certainty and trust, the SER believes it is wise to provide clarity at this stage regarding the details of licensing and supervision for each gambling area. 

Lastly, the SER has evaluated the explanatory memorandum (MvT) and concludes that it is more of a summary of the draft national ordinance than a detailed and well-reasoned explanation of the proposed legal provisions. The SER finds a lack of concrete examples and a consistent rationale for the choices made.