Compliance Updates
Brace Yourselves: Curaçao’s New Gambling Law Is at the Door!

Curaçao is approaching the finishing line of their online gambling reform, with the new law being sent to the parliament. Markus Björk at Slotsoo has been in touch with both the Ministry of Finance and several Curaçao operators to find out how they feel about this big change. Do European license providers have a reason to feel threatened by Curaçao casinos 2.0?
LOK Now Just Waiting for Parliament Approval
On December 19th, Curaçao’s Ministry of Finance informed that the new law has been officially submitted to the parliament. The National Ordinance for Games of Chance, commonly referred to as LOK (Landsverordening op de kansspelen), is expected to come into effect in the first half of 2024.
Finance Minister Javier Silvania, the front figure of the reform, shares his excitement about this historical moment:
“We are very happy to reach this final stage. The submission of the LOK to Parliament is not just a procedural step, but a leap towards transformative progress.”
No More Master Licenses or Middle Men
The current setup of the Curaçao casino license is very unique, with four master license holders being in charge of giving licenses to individual casino operators and ensuring their compliance to the regulations.
This has resulted in big quality differences, and if you were to ask ten EU players how they feel about Curaçao casinos you would get very varied replies. Another critique with the current system is that most of the financial gain goes to the four master license holders, while the island of Curaçao is left with light pockets.
LOK will put an end to master licenses and middle men and require all licenses to be applied directly from Curaçao’s Gaming Control Board. This means more uniformed quality and better control. The new law will also require gambling companies to have physical presence on the island, creating new job opportunities for the locals.
The Curaçao casinos we interviewed all welcome the new setup. Spinwise (Tsars Casino) sees some hurdles, but says it will be worth it in the long run:
“The prohibition of sublicensing by master licensees introduces a new financial dynamic for individual companies, albeit with associated fees. While adaptation to the new framework may pose short-term challenges, the long-term benefits are expected to outweigh these initial obstacles.”
The Curaçao License Will Remain Tax Free
- No tax on winnings
- No restrictions on player nationality
- Strong regulatory framework
Keeping the Balance Is Crucial for Success
Finance Minister Javier Silvania shares that they had a very inclusive approach when drafting the new law. They consulted all the stakeholders to make sure LOK will consider different perspectives and not just serve one group. The country of Curaçao, its citizens, the gambling industry, and the players should all benefit from the reform.
Many license jurisdictions that go through a re-regulation fall into the trap of legislating too much, without the government listening to the industry or the players enough. This leads to fewer license holders and lower channelization rates, as both the operators and the players search for more attractive solutions from other countries.
We wish Curaçao good luck with their new start in 2024!
Compliance Updates
Honolulu Mayor Signs New Laws Targeting Illegal Game Rooms

Last Thursday, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi signed into law three bills — Bills 11, 12 and 13 — each of which are related to illegal gambling in the county.
The first, Bill 11, sets requirements on “electronic amusement devices” in public establishments. Operators of the establishment are now required to obtain a permit from the Honolulu Police Chief to use such a device on the premises, or else forfeit the device.
The Police Chief could deny a permit application if the proposed location of the device “would be reasonably likely to result in an increase in criminal activity, vandalism, litter, noise or traffic congestion,” according to the bill. The bill also requires anyone with a permit to allow a police officer to enter the premises and inspect the device and other records.
Meanwhile, Bill 12 allows the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting to deny permit applications for properties that have been cited for a gambling-related public nuisance within the previous two years.
And Bill 13 allows landlords to request a police escort while inspecting a private property for nuisance claims, with the accompanying officers authorized to document law violations or unsafe conditions, and to warn people not authorized to be there to leave.
In tandem, the three bills are meant to clamp down on illicit gambling rooms, which often become hotspots for associated complaints of criminal behavior.
Compliance Updates
PHAI Files Lawsuit in Pennsylvania Over Caesars’ Dangerous Online Casino Promotion and “Pay Through Bonuses”

The Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI), a nonprofit advocacy organization that continues to lead the movement to develop a comprehensive public health response to the threat posed by the gambling industry, announced a new lawsuit filed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, seeking to expose and stop an alleged dangerous, misleading, and illegal “deposit match” promotion by Caesars Online Casino and its brick-and-mortar partner Harrah’s Philadelphia Casino.
In this promotion, Caesars and its partners are luring new customers with a false and misleading promise of a “$2500 deposit match,” according to the lawsuit. Only in the small-print terms and conditions is it disclosed that a new customer playing Blackjack is required to gamble and risk $375,000 in just the first seven days after opening an account. In other words, no money or winnings can be withdrawn unless a total of $375,000 is gambled and risked. All money lost during the first 7-day period is kept by Caesars and Harrah’s Casino.
The lawsuit alleged that Caesars and its partners have effectively rewritten the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania by mandating that new customers gamble up to $375,000 before being paid any of their winnings. The public is not told that the promotion is designed to snare new customers in a “wild chase of action,” where the bonus is unattainable and therefore impossible to win.
Under the leadership of Executive Director Mark Gottlieb, PHAI continues to spearhead the burgeoning movement to bring comprehensive public health change to the threat posed by the gambling industry and its partners across the US.
Gottlieb said: “We know the gambling industry, with the assistance of the American Gaming Association (AGA) and the National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS), is aggressively attempting to push the legalization of online casino gambling across the United States. Thus far, the seven states with online casino gambling seem ill-prepared or unwilling to regulate the wild tactics of the industry. This promotion, engineered by Caesars, is among the most egregious we have seen to date.”
Dr. Harry Levant, Director of Gambling Policy at PHAI, warned that Caesars and others in the gambling industry are acting with impunity, disregarding existing laws, and placing the public directly at risk.
According to Dr. Levant: “It is unconscionable for a gambling company to knowingly require people to gamble excessively and put their mental health at risk as a condition to cash out their winnings. More importantly, nothing in Pennsylvania’s gambling rules or laws permits a casino to refuse payment unless and until customers begin gambling to excess. This is dangerous to Caesar’s customers, immoral, and just plain wrong.”
PHAI Director of Litigation Andrew Rainer, Esq., said: “PHAI continues to utilize the courts to protect clients and the public from unreasonable risks of harm caused by the negligent, careless, and reckless conduct of the gambling industry.”
PHAI Founder and President. Dr. Richard Daynard said: “The mission of the Public Health Advocacy Institute is to protect public health and advance social justice. The days of the gambling industry disregarding public health and safety are coming to an end. When Caesars doesn’t play fair, it puts players’ health at risk.”
The case is Brubaker vs Chester Downs and Marina LLC et al. (Ct of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County, First Judicial District, Case ID 250602325).
In December 2023, PHAI and its Center for Public Health Litigation filed a class action suit against DraftKings in Massachusetts that garnered nationwide headlines. In August 2024, a judge in Massachusetts denied DraftKings’ motion to dismiss, allowing the litigation to move forward.
In October 2024, PHAI filed a lawsuit against the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, asking the court to compel the MGC to adhere to state law and turn over data that casinos compile to track player behavior. Under Section 97 of the Expanded Gaming Act, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is required to collect behavioral data from casino operators and share anonymized customer data with researchers. This data is essential for analyzing what casino practices are causing harm and who is being harmed. The Gaming Commission has been subject to the legal requirement to collect this data since its formation in 2011. Now, more than a decade later, the Commission has yet to collect a single piece of data from any licensee or make any data available to researchers.
Compliance Updates
The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) Selects New Board Chair

The Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) has announced Chief Tammy Cook-Searson, of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, as its new Board Chair for SIGA’s Board of Directors.
SIGA is a non-profit First Nation gaming operator for seven land-based casinos and the online gaming platform PlayNow.com in Saskatchewan.
Chief Cook-Searson first joined SIGA’s Board of Directors in 2018 and has been a regular SIGA Board member as well as a member of SIGA’s Audit & Finance Committee.
She is serving in her 20th year as Chief of Lac La Ronge Indian Band and has a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and a graduate diploma in management from Athabasca University. She also holds honorary degrees from the University of Regina, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) and Saskatchewan Polytechnic.
Chief Cook-Searson replaces outgoing Board Chair former Chief of Muskowekwan First Nation Reginald Bellerose, who has held the Board Chair position since February 4, 2015.
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