Regulatory
Curacao Licence
Definition
An online gambling licence issued in Curaçao, now granted directly by the Curaçao Gaming Authority under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), in force since 24 December 2024, in place of the old master and sub-licence system.
Key takeaways
- Curaçao has been one of the most used offshore licensing jurisdictions for online gambling for more than two decades.
- Under the old model a few master licence holders sublicensed operators onward with limited oversight, which banks, suppliers and affiliates increasingly rejected.
- Direct licensing by the Curaçao Gaming Authority replaced that structure, and changes there ripple through the wider grey-market ecosystem.
Why it matters
Curacao has been one of the most-used offshore licensing jurisdictions for online gambling for more than two decades. The historical structure was a master-license / sub-license model where a small number of master licence holders sublicensed onward to operators, with limited regulatory oversight of the sublicensees. The result was a large population of Curacao-licensed operators with widely varying compliance standards, which made the licence suitable for serving grey markets but increasingly unacceptable to banking, supplier, and affiliate counterparties.
The Curacao Gaming Authority framework launched to replace the legacy structure with direct licensing, enhanced supervision, and aligned international standards. The transition has been complicated and protracted, with implications for operator licensing renewals, supplier counterparty risk, and the broader perception of Curacao-licensed activity. The trade and B2B industry has watched the transition closely because Curacao remains the headline offshore licensing brand and changes there ripple through the wider grey-market operator ecosystem.
Sources
- Online Gaming - Curaçao Gaming Authority
Frequently asked questions
Is a Curacao licence accepted by regulated market regulators?
No. A Curacao licence is not a substitute for a local license in any regulated market. Operators serving regulated markets from Curacao licences are doing so as offshore activity, with all the legal and counterparty implications that entails.
Why was the master-licence model phased out?
International AML standards and counterparty due diligence expectations made the master-licence model increasingly untenable. The National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), in force since 24 December 2024, replaced it with direct licensing by the Curaçao Gaming Authority, intended to bring Curaçao closer to the standards expected by banks, payment providers and supplier diligence teams.