Members of the Dutch parliament have tabled a motion calling on Curacao to tighten gambling and anti-money laundering rules.

MPs Van Nispen (SP), Michon-Derksen (VVD) and Van der Werf (D66) made the motion during a debate on the security of the Netherlands' Caribbean possessions. Curacao is finalising its new gambling law, which aims to tighten oversight in the offshore gambling hub.

The petition notes that money laundering is a serious problem on the island and that links between organised crime and civil society pose a threat to the integrity of public administration.

The motion also notes ongoing reform work and that gambling remains the island's responsibility, but serious crime could impact the integrity of the government.

In this regard, the Dutch government is called upon to enter into consultations with Curacao to ensure that gambling supervision is tightened to combat money laundering.

Curacao may be added to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) list of jurisdictions under enhanced supervision . This served as a starting point for work on new legislation. Historically, gambling in Curacao was licensed under a two-tier system of main and sublicenses.

Under the existing structure, lower-tier licenses were in practice subject to far less oversight than high-tier licenses, which critics warned posed responsible gaming and money laundering risks. Many of the world’s offshore gambling operations were licensed in Curacao.

Under the new legislation, the main licences will be abolished in order to create a new gambling regulator that will oversee all businesses according to the same set of rules.

However, some observers noted that the updated system could lead many companies to move to new jurisdictions to avoid new oversight.

Last month, the most famous of the old master licensees, Cyberluck , was declared bankrupt due to unpaid debts.

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