Curacao: gambling regulation and licensing

Curacao spent two decades as the jurisdiction of last resort and has spent the last two trying to stop being one. The National Ordinance on Games of Chance, the LOK, has been in force since 24 December 2024, and it dismantled the arrangement the island was known for: four master licence holders issuing an unlimited number of sub-licences to operators the master holder barely supervised and the government did not see at all. Under the LOK an operator holds a licence directly from the Curacao Gaming Authority, incorporates locally with a resident director, and is subject to compliance and responsible-gambling obligations the old sub-licence model never imposed. Former sub-licensees were moved onto provisional LOK licences during the transition rather than being cut off. The significance runs well beyond the Caribbean. A very large share of the world's offshore supply has carried a Curacao licence, and in most European and Latin American markets that licence is read as evidence an operator could not obtain one anywhere else. Whether the LOK changes that reputation depends on something the statute cannot deliver by itself, which is visible enforcement against licensees. For operators the practical questions are processing times for direct licences, what happens to those who did not convert, and whether the authority publishes a licence register and complaint outcomes that outsiders can check. A regime is judged by the cases it brings, not the ordinance it passes.

Regulator

Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA)

Regulator type

Dedicated regulator

Headline tax

Not yet verified

Licence required

Yes

Minimum age

Not yet verified

Tax base

Not yet verified

Capital

Willemstad

Currency

ANG

Official languages

Dutch, Papiamento, English

Licence required

Yes

Application window

Not yet verified

Local establishment required

Yes

Local server required

Not yet verified

Local director required

Yes

Barriers to entry

A locally established Curacao company (NV or BV) is required, managed by a natural person resident in Curacao or a Curacao-incorporated legal entity.

Advertising permitted

Yes

Affiliate rules

Affiliates are not separately licensed here. Affiliate compliance follows the rules of the market being targeted rather than those of the licensing jurisdiction. A Curacao licence is frequently misread as authorising promotion in the target market; it does not.

Penalties for breach

The Curacao Gaming Authority supervises licensees directly under the LOK and can act against the licence.

The market is bedding in under direct CGA supervision. The practical questions for operators are processing times for direct licences, the enforcement posture toward operators that did not convert, and how the new compliance and reporting obligations compare in cost to the old sub-licence model. Confirm current fees and requirements against the CGA before relying on them.

Who regulates online gambling in Curacao?

The Curacao Gaming Authority, under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK) that took effect on 24 December 2024. Licences are now issued directly by the authority.

1. Curacao Gaming Authority, online gaming regulation

   Curacao Gaming Authority

   The CGA site blocked automated retrieval (HTTP 403) this session. Listed as the primary authority; a direct read is queued before publishing.

   Tier 1Accessed 4 Aug 2026
2. National Law on Games of Chance of Curacao

   Egaming Services

   Tier 4Accessed 4 Aug 2026