About this app
What is Lucky Queen?
In a press release dated 27 August, the DRC’s Ministry of Finance reminded gambling operators that Ordinance No. 25/293 formally transferred responsibility for regulating the sector from the Ministry of Sports and Leisure to its own remit.
In the Ministry of Finance’s view, this ended “any institutional ambiguity” over who should oversee the DRC’s gambling industry.
“The Ministry of Finance reaffirms its determination to drive the reform of the gambling and games of chance sector in accordance with government directives, while upholding legal certainty for operators, transparency in activities and the protection of the Public Treasury’s interests,” said the press release, signed by Alain Malata Kafunda, the chief of staff to the DRC minister of finance.
How to play Lucky Queen
Company creditors have alleged a shortfall of more than £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion), while administrators have accused Raja of orchestrating a scheme through which funds were systematically extracted from MFS and related entities.
A separate lawsuit brought on behalf of creditors alleges Raja received more than £408 million ($545 million) from funds managed by MFS into personal bank accounts across the UK, Monaco, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates, according to The Telegraph.
Raja has also been accused of acquiring a fleet of luxury vehicles. The Telegraph reported these included six Ferraris, three Aston Martins, three Rolls-Royces, and two Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
How to play Lucky Queen
All submissions must also now include an exit plan – a new obligation that applies across the board. This requirement, intended to ensure orderly market withdrawal, marked a move toward embedding long-term risk management into the licensing process.
It requires operators to describe in detail how they will responsibly wind down their operations should their licence not be renewed or be revoked. Or if they decide to leave the market midway through the five years between renewals.
The regulator noted that several operators received “additional points for attention”, indicating that while these applicants met minimum legal thresholds, the KSA expected continuous improvements in compliance practices.