Data on over 1,000 Curaçao crypto casinos published after regulator hack

Journalists publish casino data after Curaçao regulator reports hack

A group of journalists has published data about more than 1,000 casino and gambling companies registered in Curaçao. The release came about a week after the country's gambling regulator said it had been hacked.

The files cover crypto casinos. A crypto casino is an online casino where customers gamble with digital currencies instead of, or alongside, ordinary money. The published database holds over 40,000 documents, according to the report by Protos.

What the published files contain

• Over 40,000 documents.
• Records covering more than 1,000 Curaçao-registered casinos and gambling firms.
• Financial plans, audits, business structures and details of funding sources.

Which crypto casinos are named

According to the report, major crypto casinos affected include Rollbit, 1xBet, Stake and Roobet.

An X user called 'halfretired0' used the database to confirm that the owner of Rollbit is Daniel Dixon, also known as 'Lucky'. Dixon has been linked to a 2016 CS:GO scandal that involved predetermined dice rolls. The X user was suspended from the platform at the time of writing.

The data also includes information on Tether.bet. The report says the casino is listed under GT Holdings B.V. and names Hon Kong Yong as its beneficial owner, meaning the person who ultimately owns or benefits from the company.

Leaked documents indicate that one source of funding for tether.bet came from the $3.7 million sale of Yong's London flat to Peter A. Fanconi, who is the chairman of BlueOrchard Finance. The report also says Yong was reportedly influential in helping George Cottrell, described as one of Nigel Farage's closest aides, into a corporate finance network in the City of London.

What the Curaçao Gaming Authority said

Last week, the Curaçao Gaming Authority said it had been hacked. It did not disclose further details in its report. At the time, observers speculated that the incident could lead to a data leak.

How the journalists describe their own work

German journalist Lilith Wittmann says she carried out the work with journalists from NDR, NRK, SVT and Follow the Money. She says the group researched the gambling industry before extracting almost 2TB of data from gambling authorities in Curaçao and Malta.

Wittmann says the group used up all other journalistic methods before turning to the apparent hack, and that they acted 'on the basis of an overriding public interest'.

Her website claims the findings show who is behind thousands of illegal online casinos that attract millions of gamblers in Germany and other countries. It also claims the data shows who profits from the system, where taxes are not paid, and how illegal gambling keeps growing despite regulation and bans. These statements are the journalists' own claims.

What is confirmed

• The Curaçao Gaming Authority said it was hacked. It did not give further details.
• A database of casino documents was published on the Casino Secrets website.
• The journalists say the data covers more than 1,000 Curaçao-registered casinos and gambling firms.

What is still unclear

It is not clear whether the data the journalists extracted is the same event as the hack the regulator reported. The report uses careful wording, describing the hack as 'apparent' and saying the group 'supposedly' tried other methods first.

The Curaçao Gaming Authority has not released more information about its hack. The claims about illegal casinos, unpaid taxes and who profits have not been confirmed beyond the journalists' own accounts.

Why the leaked files matter

The documents name owners and funding sources for crypto casinos that customers use. The journalists say they published the material because they believe the public has an interest in knowing who runs and funds these businesses.

Sources

• Protos