WILLEMSTAD - Finance Minister Javier Silvania is conducting a “one-man show” when it comes to the online gaming sector. This is clear from a press statement 'stakeholders online gaming sector'.
In addition to Silvania's One-Man Show, there is also a lack of professionalism and transparency, a strong perception of conflicts of interest, a case of legal uncertainty and a new draft law with unrealistic requirements for permit holders. According to the statement, the Curaçao online game sector will not make it this way.
The sender of the press release is still unknown, but it would concern local companies that are active in the online game sector, such as master licensees and trust offices.
The statement describes that during the run-up to the ICE London fair in February, there was a lack of transparency from the minister. The preparations would have been kept strictly secret and no stakeholder would have been informed. Silvania would also not have informed stakeholders within the sector about the representation of Curaçao on the stock exchange. According to the writers of the statement, this clearly indicates that the minister is conducting a 'one-man show'.
The statement outlines the secrecy of the preparations for the fair. For example, Silvania's private e-mail address would be on the folder and not that of the ministry. “What will happen to the contacts that have been collected when Mr. Silvania is no longer a minister?” According to the local business owners who probably wrote the letter, these points reinforce the impression that there is a conflict of interest and intended distortion of competition.