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State of Play’s TL;DR
- The Curaçao Gaming Authority says it contained a breach.
- A hacker claimed months of access to records tied to hundreds of offshore online casinos.
The Curaçao Gaming Authority said it contained unauthorized access to its systems after a hacker claimed she spent nine months inside the regulator’s licensing platform and obtained records tied to hundreds of offshore online casinos.
Curaçao is a major licensing jurisdiction for online gambling operators, and the leaked files could shed new light on who owns, finances, and controls brands that serve players across multiple markets.
The material helped identify around 800 owners tied to nearly 650 licensed gambling companies operating thousands of gambling websites.
Hacker explains how access was gained
The self-described white-hat hacker, Lilith Wittmann, said she and collaborators were able to view internal Curaçao Gaming Authority information for months. She wrote that she had effectively “watched [the regulator] live at work” and claimed the access showed “who owns illegal online casinos, who finances them, and what the authority knew about their operations.”
The leaked files include license applications, regulatory assessments, passports, tax returns, and other financial information. Wittmann said she gained access by registering under the name of a trust-office manager known to the regulator while using her own Gmail address, claiming to represent a fictitious entity called DreamCatcher Private Foundation. She then allegedly uploaded software that let her take control of the licensing system.
The leak has already raised questions around ownership structures at major operators including Stake and 1xBet. Casino.org reported that Stake’s Curaçao company, Medium Rare NV, is officially owned by CEO Mladen Vuckovic, but internal regulator records questioned whether he was the sole owner. The report also said CGA officials identified loans and payments worth tens or hundreds of millions of dollars from Medium Rare to companies and individuals connected to Stake founders Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani.
Curaçao says investigation is ongoing
The regulator acknowledged the unauthorized access on Sept. 17 and said it had contained the breach and identified its source. It also said a forensic investigation was still underway and that the full scope of the incident had not yet been established.
Casino.org also reported that 1xBet’s Curaçao company, Caecus NV, lists Ihor Hniedash as owner and CEO, while CGA assessors suspected the business had “multiple owners.” The report said the authority granted Caecus a license in 2024 without receiving answers to questions about Hniedash’s relationship with Russians associated with the company.
What happens next depends on the regulator’s forensic review and whether additional operators, owners, or compliance failures are identified in the leaked records. The episode is also likely to intensify scrutiny of Curaçao’s licensing system, which is widely used by offshore casino brands.
Based on reporting by Philip Conneller for Casino.org.
