Curaçao: Public Prosecutor’s Office reaches settlement with online casinos
Identity verification failures addressed through out-of-court resolution.
Key points:
– Twelve online casino operators accepted an out-of-court settlement for failing to verify player identities, an offence under Curaçao law
– This is the first time the online gambling sector in Curaçao has been held accountable under the client identification legislation
The Public Prosecutor’s Office (PPO) of Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands have reached an out-of-court settlement with 12 legal entities operating online casinos.
The PPO determined that the operators did not comply with applicable regulations at the time of the investigation by failing to verify the identity of players where required.
The investigation was launched following media coverage and criminal complaints filed by the Foundation for Representation of Victims of Online Gaming.
Seventeen gambling websites were examined under the authority of the PPO’s Central Team as part of a case codenamed Nebraska.
The PPO concluded that players were able to open accounts and deposit funds without their identities being verified, despite a legal obligation to do so before entering into a business relationship.
Good to know: Identity verification is a part of Know Your Customer (KYC) procedures, which aim to prevent fraud, money laundering and access to gambling by minors or vulnerable individuals
All 12 legal entities accepted the settlement offer but did not admit to the facts or accept any criminal liability.
Eleven of the 12 paid fines of XCG (Caribbean Guilder) 22,500 ($12,570) per casino operated, resulting in a total of XCG 360,000.
One entity did not comply with the financial terms of the agreement. As a result, the settlement was cancelled and the company will be summoned to court.
The PPO settlement underscores the rising regulatory pressure on identity verification in online gaming. Within this field, SCCG and Aware’s push for biometric solutions is one of many that aims to support compliance and fraud prevention.
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