Curaçao Gaming Authority Plans New Portal After Data Breach

The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) is preparing to introduce a new licensing portal following a cyberattack that exposed confidential information belonging to licence holders.

The incident occurred in September and was publicly disclosed on 17 September. Following its investigation, the regulator found that Germany had gained access to private information held within its licensing system.

In response, the CGA has decided to retire the existing portal and discontinue the regulatory services provided through its current service provider. A temporary replacement was scheduled to become available on 19 October, subject to the completion of the necessary testing. The new system is intended to allow licensing and supervisory activities to continue.

However, the regulator said several components require further development or security assessments before the temporary portal can be introduced. These include its internal systems, digital seal and licence registry, all of which are due to undergo external security testing. Technical updates are also being made to the customer portal ahead of its own security assessment.

The CGA has clarified that closing the previous portal does not invalidate existing licences. Companies holding licences must continue to meet their regulatory obligations despite the disruption to the system.

CGA pursues action over exposed data

The regulator has reported the breach to the relevant authorities and filed formal complaints in Curaçao, Germany and the Netherlands. It has also engaged specialists to help remove stolen information circulating online and prevent its further distribution.

An independent forensic investigation remains underway to establish the full extent of the incident and identify the remedial measures required. The CGA is also considering legal action in connection with the breach.

The incident comes as Curaçao continues to modernise its framework for online gambling licensing and supervision, making the security and reliability of its regulatory systems an important part of that process.