Key facts
- A vast leak of data, dubbed 'Casino Secrets', has exposed confidential files from the gambling regulator in Curaçao.
- The leak details the inner workings of thousands of online casinos, including Stake.com and the Santeda network.
- Some businesses appear to be owned or operated by British citizens, while others have been accused of illegally targeting UK customers.
- The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) confirmed its portal suffered "unauthorised access".
- Information published includes details on owners and the source of wealth for some offshore casinos.
- Companies like Santeda International, Upgaming, Oddsbet, BC.Game, and Stake.com are implicated in the leak.
A massive leak of confidential files, dubbed 'Casino Secrets', has exposed the inner workings of thousands of online gambling firms licensed in Curaçao, a Caribbean island that has become a major hub for offshore casinos. The data, reportedly obtained by a Berlin-based hacker named Lilith Wittmann, includes details about the ownership and source of wealth of some of the world's largest online casinos.
The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) confirmed it had suffered "unauthorised access" to its portal, where the files were stored. The leak has raised significant questions about the opaque licensing regime in Curaçao, which hosts over 8,000 casinos.
Among the businesses implicated are Stake.com, a crypto-focused online casino and sponsor of Everton FC, and the Santeda network, previously investigated for allegedly targeting vulnerable UK gamblers despite lacking a UK license. The leak also includes data on BC.Game, another company accused of illegally targeting UK customers.
Information published in the leak links Upgaming, a business owned by Georgian businessmen, to the Santeda network, despite previous denials. Documents submitted to the CGA name Onise Chimakhidze as Santeda's owner and list Upgaming email addresses as contact details. Lawyers for Upgaming stated they could not speculate on why third parties might list their contact details and suggested a past business relationship with Santeda that has since ceased.
Further details emerge about Oddsbet, a betting company allegedly owned until 2025 by UK resident Robert Bostock. Documents suggest his funds derived from cryptocurrency investments and a loan, and that he sold the business for $240,000. Lawyers for Bostock stated the loan was never drawn and the business only served non-UK customers.
Stake.com's Curaçao-registered company named Mladen Vučković as its owner, who declared over $1 billion in assets. However, regulators reportedly questioned his ownership due to millions of dollars flowing to companies tied to Stake's founders, Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, who did not appear on the license application. The investigative journalism platform Follow the Money highlighted this as an example of the CGA failing to act on red flags.
The UK Gambling Commission stated it takes illegal gambling activity seriously and works with partners to disrupt operations outside the regulatory framework. The CGA has stated it is committed to transparency and will issue further updates on the ongoing forensic matter.