WILLEMSTAD — The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) has confirmed that a group of gambling operators nearing the end of their second provisional licence period will be allowed to continue operating under their current status while regulatory assessments remain ongoing.
In an announcement dated December 23, the regulator said it has not yet reached a final decision on whether to grant indefinite licences to certain operators whose provisional licences are close to expiry. According to the CGA, the delay is due to the large volume of information submitted by operators and the time required to complete thorough vetting procedures.
“Given the high amount of information collected from the operators and the time needed for proper vetting thereof, the CGA has not yet reached a final decision on the indefinite license for a group of operators whose expiry date of the second period of provisional license is nearby,” the authority stated.
Under the Landsverordening op de Kansspelen (LOK), the CGA may issue a provisional licence for six months, followed by a single six-month extension. This transitional period is intended to give operators time to fully comply with the licensing requirements. After the second provisional period, the law requires the regulator to decide whether an operator qualifies for a final, indefinite licence, based on the criteria set out in Article 2.2, paragraph 2 of the LOK.
No change in operational status
The CGA emphasized that the ongoing review process does not affect the legal standing of the operators involved. “The CGA assessment for this group is still in progress, and no final decision has been made at this stage,” the regulator said, adding that “until a final decision is rendered and communicated to the operator, the current status remains unaffected.”
Each affected operator will be formally informed. According to the CGA, individual letters will be sent to the operators concerned, confirming that they may continue operating under their existing provisional licence while the assessment is completed.
The clarification is expected to be closely watched by offshore gambling operators licensed in Curaçao, many of whom are in the process of transitioning from the island’s former licensing structure to the newer LOK framework, introduced as part of broader reforms aimed at strengthening oversight, compliance, and international credibility.
Curaçao’s long-standing role in iGaming
Curaçao has played a significant role in the global online gambling market for more than three decades. As part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the island has positioned itself as an offshore business hub, supported by a mature services sector and favorable fiscal conditions. Alongside tourism, oil refining, logistics, and financial services, iGaming has become a key pillar of the local economy.
The foundations of Curaçao’s gambling regulation date back to 1993, with the introduction of the National Offshore Gambling Decree. Licence issuance began in 1996, marking the island’s formal entry into the online gambling industry.
For many years, the system operated with two types of licences: master licences and sub-licences. Master licences, issued by the Ministry of Justice and valid for five years, allowed holders not only to offer gambling services but also to issue sub-licences to third parties. Sub-licences remained valid for as long as the underlying master licence was in force. While the law theoretically allowed any entity to apply for a licence, in practice only four master licence holders existed.
The ongoing transition to the LOK regime represents a major shift in Curaçao’s regulatory landscape. The CGA’s latest announcement underscores the complexity of that transition, as well as the regulator’s effort to balance continuity for operators with stricter oversight and due diligence under the new system.