The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) has announced a six-month extension to its provisional gambling licences, allowing certain operators to continue offering services until at least December 24, 2025. This decision provides additional time for new licence submissions to be processed and for operators to ensure full compliance with the island’s recently reformed regulatory framework.

The extension comes despite the new licensing framework, introduced under the National Ordinance for Games of Chance (LOK), having officially come into force in December 2024, which prohibits the continued use of licences awarded under the former regime. Provisional gambling licences issued through the LOK were originally set to run for an initial six-month period, expiring on June 24, 2025. However, the CGA will now extend this period by another six months for select operators. The extension applies to both ‘Green Seal B2C’ entities and ‘B2B’ licence holders in Curaçao, with applicable operators set to receive their updated licences on or before June 27.

The CGA stated in a release on Tuesday (June 24, 2025) that this extension is intended to grant licence-holders additional time to ensure they are fully compliant with the new rules and regulations in Curaçao. Operators licensed by or after December 25, 2024, are specifically required to be compliant or demonstrate significant progress in relation to their issued checklists and additional requirements under LOK during the first six-month period from the date of issuance of their provisional licence. The CGA further clarified that an extension of up to a maximum of six months, or the issuance of a full licence, will depend on the level of progress demonstrated by the operator. Under the new structure, operators and suppliers are required to adhere to much stricter regulatory requirements than under the previous system. For instance, operators must now provide a dispute resolution portal to help solve player disputes and prevent them from escalating to court. The new licensing system also seeks to enhance the market’s anti-money laundering (AML) rules and generally boost Curaçao’s reputation as a heavily compliant and robustly regulated market.

Rocky Road to New Regulation

Curaçao’s journey to its updated regulatory framework has not been without its challenges. The LOK legislation itself was in development since September 2023, coinciding with when the CGA first established its new licensing window process. The transition also saw a host of master licences, which underpinned the island’s previous two-tiered licensing system, expire. The first of these expired in August 2024, with the last ceasing to be valid in January 2025. The CGA subsequently opened various licensing windows to allow B2C, B2B2C, and B2B operators to submit applications for new licences directly from the authority.

However, an influx of new licence applications in the summer of last year (2024) significantly set back the licensing process. Many applicants reportedly failed to submit the appropriate documentation in the initial stages, creating delays. This complex transition period also unfolded against a backdrop of corruption reports related to the licensing process. Allegations, which also included fraud and money laundering, were made by local politician Luigi Faneyte, a member of the opposition Real Alternative Party. Faneyte filed a report with the attorney general’s office in November (2024), claiming that gambling licences were issued without a proper legal basis, which in turn led to financial losses for the government. However, the GCA formally rejected these allegations, defending what it describes as a “comprehensive licensing process.”

The six-month extension of provisional licences by the Curaçao Gaming Authority reflects the ongoing complexities of implementing its new regulatory framework. The move aims to ensure that operators have adequate time to meet stricter compliance requirements, as Curaçao continues its efforts to strengthen its reputation as a well-regulated and compliant international iGaming jurisdiction.