WILLEMSTAD – Former Minister of Finance Javier Silvania is defending the financial framework of Curaçao’s online gaming regulator, the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA), amid growing political debate over revenues and expenses within the sector.
Silvania responded to recent statements by Minister of Finance Charles Cooper, who announced an investigation into financial arrangements related to online gaming. According to Silvania, the criticism is based on an incorrect interpretation of the licensing system established under the Landsverordening op de Kansspelen (LOK).
Silvania explained that the LOK intentionally created two separate financial flows when online gaming operators obtain licenses.
The first payment is the annual licensing fee paid to the government. The second payment is a supervision fee paid directly to the CGA to finance the regulator’s activities.
According to Silvania, the annual B2C license fee amounts to €47,450. Of this amount, €24,490 goes directly to the Ministry of Finance, while €22,960 goes to the CGA for regulatory supervision.
He stressed that the CGA payment cannot be considered government income because it is specifically intended to fund the regulator’s operations.
“The supervision fee is the mechanism established by law to allow CGA to fulfill its legal responsibilities,” Silvania stated.
The former minister said the CGA requires financial resources to perform tasks such as reviewing license applications, supervising operators, monitoring compliance with anti-money laundering requirements, conducting investigations and maintaining the digital licensing infrastructure.
Silvania also rejected the suggestion that hiring consultants or external professionals by the CGA represents a loss of government revenue.
According to him, the regulator must have the flexibility to determine whether certain tasks are carried out by employees or outside experts, as long as those costs are covered through the supervision mechanism established by law.
The former minister argued that the new LOK system was introduced precisely to move away from the previous structure, in which private parties controlled gaming licenses, and to create a more transparent regulatory framework under government supervision.
Silvania called for the public debate about online gaming to be based on a correct understanding of the legal and financial structure of the sector.
“The system must be judged based on the rules established in the LOK and how those rules are applied,” he stated.