The Curaçao government has issued a clarification denying reports that Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas (as depicted in the featured image) has assumed direct oversight of the island’s gambling regulator, the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA), following the resignation of its entire Supervisory Board in mid-September.
The government office released an official statement this week, addressing confusion stemming from local media reports and online speculation. According to the statement, Pisas was only briefed by the Directorate of the Gaming Control Board (GCB) on recent developments within the gambling sector, discussions which led to the introduction of a new supervisory law at the end of 2024.
The clarification followed a report published by several media outlets, which suggested that Pisas had taken direct ministerial responsibility for the CGA. The government firmly denied this, stating that there is “no talk of a formal political responsibility of Premier Pisas over the GCB or the CGA.”
CGA now under the Ministry of Justice
The statement explained that political responsibility for the gambling sector now rests with the Minister of Justice, not the Prime Minister. This change took effect on 19 August 2025, following a government decision to transfer administrative oversight of the gaming industry from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Justice.
Officials said the shift reflects a broader effort to strengthen Curaçao’s legal and supervisory framework for gambling, particularly to address illegal betting activities and enhance regulatory enforcement. “Since the introduction of the Landsverordening op de Kansspelen (LOK), the emphasis has shifted toward a solid legal basis for supervision and for tackling illegal operations,” the statement noted.
The clarification comes amid ongoing speculation surrounding the resignations of Supervisory Board members Shelwyn Salesia, Robert Reijnaert, and Ildefons Simon, which left the CGA without a board only months after it began operating under the modernised LOK framework. Local media reported that Prime Minister Pisas met with CGA management soon after the resignations to review the state of the gambling sector. Finance Minister Javier Silvania, under whose ministry the CGA initially fell, did not attend the meeting. Instead, government adviser Caryl Monte represented the administration.
However, the CGA later dismissed suggestions of a political takeover, calling such reports misleading. In a statement, the regulator explained that the Supervisory Board is a politically appointed oversight body designed to ensure alignment between the regulator’s work and national policy. Such appointments, it said, are routinely reviewed when departmental mandates shift, a standard procedure across public bodies worldwide.
CGA affirms normal operations
The CGA confirmed that its operations remain fully functional and independent, with all licensing, supervisory, and compliance duties continuing without interruption. The government has already begun the process of appointing new Supervisory Board members.
Aideen Short, Marketing and PR Advisor at the CGA, also addressed the matter directly. “Contrary to several articles, the recent stepping down of the CGA’s Supervisory Board does not constitute a crisis or a derailment of the LOK rollout,” she said.
Introduced in December 2024, the LOK, formally known as the National Ordinance on Games of Chance, replaces Curaçao’s old Gaming Control Board structure. It aims to phase out the master and sub-licence model, tighten oversight, and require all operators to apply directly for new licences under stricter conditions.
Both the government and the CGA have reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring continuity, transparency, and accountability in Curaçao’s gaming sector, saying the recent changes are part of the normal process of transition under the island’s evolving regulatory system.
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