Curaçao Licensed Online Casinos

What Is the Curaçao Gaming Authority?

The Curaçao Gaming Authority is a licensing body that oversees and regulates all gaming activity and companies, and supervises anti-money laundering compliance and the financing of terrorism. Curaçao licensees hold a licence that allows them to operate in multiple jurisdictions.

It was established on 19 April 1999 with the purpose of regulating the gaming industry in Curaçao, and has held online gaming licensing responsibilities since March 2020. Curaçao has issued online gambling licenses since 1996, but under different authorities.

After implementing the Landsverordening op de Kansspelen (National Ordinance on Games of Chance, "LOK") in December 2024, CGA expanded and strengthened its regulatory oversight of online gaming in and from the country.

All previous master licences, as well as their sub-licences, were discontinued because of heavy criticism that Curaçao-licensed casinos did not follow the rules and often provided poor service to players. The Curaçao Gaming Authority licences are the only valid ones.

Official Resources and Contact Details

• Address: Scharlooweg 172-174, Willemstad, Curaçao
• Phone: +(599 9) 737-2299
• Email: [email protected] (for general inquiries)
• Licensee Register: CGA Licensee Register

How Does the Curaçao Gaming Authority License Online Casinos?

The first step for every operator wishing to obtain a Curaçao Gaming Authority licence, under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), is to complete the Online Gaming License Application Form linked on the official website.

The operator must also complete the Business and Corporate Information Form and Personal History Disclosure Form for every key person in the business. The CGA then reviews the application, and if it is approved, the licence is granted for an indefinite period.

If the licensee needs to make certain amendments, the CGA can grant a provisional licence which is valid for six months, with a possible extension up to another six months.

The CGA's Supervision Department (SD) is in charge of ensuring that licensees comply with the rules and regulations. If a casino fails to meet one or more regulatory requirements or violates the licence terms, the CGA can suspend its licence until it corrects the irregularities, or revoke it.

What Does a Curaçao Gaming Authority Licence Mean for Players?

The Curaçao Gaming Authority, under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), introduced in December 2024, aims to strengthen its supervision over licensees. This includes gambling rules, responsible gambling practices, and anti-money laundering procedures.

What the Licence Requires Operators to Provide

Under the CGA rules, casinos must publish clear player-facing policies on their websites and in their Terms and Conditions, including licensing information, the complaints process, data and financial protection, responsible gambling policy, and other relevant terms.

Every licensed casino must provide fair games that are tested by CGA-approved testing laboratories and a secure gaming environment. The CGA also requires casinos to submit periodic reports as directed by the regulator.

What the Licence Doesn't Cover

The Curaçao Gaming Authority doesn't handle individual players' complaints against a casino. It investigates potential regulatory violations, supervises and takes action as necessary. Players are instructed to use an official Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider instead.

While the CGA licenses the casino and provides a certain level of control over its operations, it doesn't completely eliminate the risk associated with gambling at a licensed casino. Each casino operates under its own terms and handles player complaints in compliance with CGA rules.

Does the Licence Apply to Players in My Country?

Unlike UKGC, for example, the Curaçao gaming licence applies internationally, but not in all jurisdictions, so check the list of available casinos by country to see which casinos are available to you. Make sure to also check the regulations in your country before signing up with a new international casino.

Curaçao Gaming Authority-regulated casinos have their own rules about accepting players from various countries, and a Curaçao licence does not automatically make their services legal in every jurisdiction.

Even though these casinos aren't illegal in your country under current gambling laws, the operator might still not be available due to internal policies.

How to Check a Curaçao Gaming Authority Casino Licence

If you wish to check whether a casino has a valid Curaçao Gaming Authority licence, this is the easiest way to do that:

1. Open the casino's homepage
2. Scroll to the website footer
3. Locate the CGA badge
4. Click on it and check the certificate

The badge on the casino's website should be clickable so users can verify the licence details. If you can't click the badge, you can also check the casino's Terms and Conditions, since the CGA requires casinos to list the details there.

If you can't find the information there either, you can do a Curaçao Gaming Authority licence check in the regulator’s register we linked above. The register opens as a PDF document, which is somewhat difficult to search.

Here's how to check the licence information in the official register:

1. Open the register by clicking on the link above
2. Since there is no search option available, look for the casino's name or the name of the company that owns it
3. Check the licence status when you locate the operator's licence information

What to Do If You Can't Verify the Licence

If you can't verify the casino's licensing information, try searching the registry again in case you have misspelt the operator or company name. If that doesn't work, feel free to reach out to the casino's customer support team. They may ask you to send your request by email, but they usually provide information via live chat as well.

It is possible that the company operates under a different name than the one stated on the website, and support should be able to provide that information.

However, if you still can't confirm the casino's licensing information at that point, consider contacting the regulator directly before making a deposit with the operator. We advise you to follow this procedure for casinos with any of the other online casino licences as well.

How AskGamblers Verifies Curaçao Gaming Authority Licensed Casinos

When we review Curaçao Gaming Authority-licensed casinos, the first step is always to check the licensing details. There should be a badge in the website footer that leads to the certificate that includes a company name and the Curaçao Gaming Authority licence number.

The certificate is generated every time you click on the CGA badge, and it should show the licence status as Active if the licence is current.

However, that is not sufficient proof for us, so our casino specialists also check the official registry, where they search for the licence by the casino's name or its owner.

When I write a casino review, I first check whether the licence is valid on the casino website, then in the CGA register. From my experience, most casinos have the licence badge on the website, but some don't, which doesn't mean they are not licensed. That's also one reason we do additional checks.

How to Submit a Complaint About a Curaçao Gaming Authority Licensed Casino

The Curaçao Gaming Authority accepts player complaints only when they are about a casino breaking LOK rules. The regulator doesn't mediate between a casino and a player or resolve individual disputes, but it does consider complaints about potential breaches of law.

The CGA instructs players to submit a complaint to the casino itself and try to resolve the issue through the operator's complaint process. Casinos are required to describe the complaint process in detail in their Terms and Conditions.

If you can't resolve the complaint directly with the casino, the next step is to use an official Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) provider to help resolve it. Every casino must provide players with ADR services and have a clear procedure in place.

In cases when even the ADR-assisted complaint process fails, the CGA encourages players to take legal action if the disputed amount is significant or the case involves a breach of responsible gambling rules.

The CGA also urges players to report such cases and cases of casinos breaching the rules to [email protected] so the regulator can decide whether to take action.

Other Ways to Get Help

If a Curaçao-licensed casino doesn't show much interest in resolving your complaint, consider reaching out to the AskGamblers Casino Complaint Service (AGCCS) and submitting your complaint against the casino to our team.

The AGCCS acts as a mediator between the player and the casino, but doesn't have any legal power over the casino. Our mediation department is an independent service, and it is not connected to this or any other regulator.

The AskGamblers Casino Complaint Service has resolved over 30,000 complaints and recovered more than $93 million for players since 2009. Before submitting a complaint with the AGCCS, make sure to read the complaint guidelines.

Responsible Gambling Rules for Curaçao Gaming Authority Licensed Casinos

The CGA has mandatory requirements for its licensed operators and encourages them to extend their responsible gambling offer beyond the bare minimum. This is the list of tools and resources every Curaçao-licensed casino should cover:

• Responsible gambling information should be accessible on the homepage and included in the Terms and Conditions
• Possibility of setting a deposit limit
• Underage gambling prevention
• Provide a self-assessment test for players
• Offer cooling-off and self-exclusion options
• Monitoring player behaviour

Operators should also provide training for their employees and customer-facing partners to ensure their practices align with responsible gambling rules. They should also follow the responsible gambling guidelines in marketing and advertising activities.

Because CGA-licensed casinos operate in various countries, it is the responsibility of every casino operator to ensure it respects the legal gambling age in each country. Depending on the jurisdiction, the legal gambling age is typically 18, 19 or 21, but you should check the limits for your country.

Casinos must implement age verification by asking players for the date of birth and potentially asking them to confirm they are over 18 (or whatever the legal gambling age is in their country) by clicking a checkbox.

Every casino should again verify a player's age during the Know Your Customer (KYC) procedure by reviewing the player's ID and banking information, if applicable. Check out our responsible gambling resources for more information.

Curaçao Gaming Authority vs Other Licences

Here's a brief comparison of three major licences in the industry: