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Since 24.12.2024 Curacao licences are issued directly by the CGA regulator under the LOK law, and the old master and sub-licences ended on 15.10.2025. By official fees a B2C licence costs €4,592 to apply and €47,450 a year; it has no expiry date, and review runs in two phases of 8 weeks each. There is no official list of prohibited countries: the operator answers for the law of every country. In 2026 the regulator suffered a data breach in its licensing portal and the portal was shut down, which matters when applying and verifying. A Curacao licence does not cover players from Ukraine: that requires a Ukrainian licence.
The LOK law and the CGA
Instead of master licences there is now a single licence issued directly by the state regulator.
- Law: the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), published on 23.12.2024 and in force since 24.12.2024. The old offshore gaming law was repealed.
- Regulator: the Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA), formerly the Gaming Control Board, an independent administrative body. Since 19.08.2025 it reports to the Minister of Justice.
- End of sub-licences: direct licensing has run since 15.11.2023, and the Orange Seal for sub-licences expired on 15.10.2025. Numbers like 1668/JAZ belong to the old master licences.
What changed in 2026
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 17.09.2026 | The CGA reported unauthorised access to its licensing portal, via an account under a false identity, from December 2025 to September 2026 |
| 02.10.2026 | The portal went offline and portal filing deadlines were moved; issued licences remain valid |
| 07.10.2026 | The current portal will not return, the digital seal is affected, and another way to confirm a licensed domain is promised |
| 24.12.2026 | B2B supplier licences become mandatory: licensees may use critical services only from CGA-registered suppliers |
| 01.04.2027 | The local substance requirement (a key person and an office on Curacao) is postponed to this date |
| 06.2027 | The final stage of the CGA crypto policy: wallet segregation and blockchain analytics |
Licence types and official fees
The law has no GGR-based fee, only fixed amounts.
- B2C Gaming License for player-facing operators: one licence covering casino, betting, live dealer, poker and more. No expiry and no renewal, only yearly fees.
- B2B Supplier License for suppliers of critical services: platforms, games, anything that affects the game outcome. Curacao companies only, mandatory from 24.12.2026.
- Certificate for non-critical services such as test labs, up to 3 years. A provisional licence of up to 6 months, extendable by 6, covers the second review phase.
| Fee | B2C | B2B | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application | €4,592 | €4,592 | once, non-refundable |
| Per ultimate beneficial owner (UBO) | €150 | €150 | once |
| Licence fee to the Treasury | €24,490 | €0 | yearly by 15 January |
| CGA supervisory fee | €22,960 | €24,490 | yearly by 15 January |
| Total per year | €47,450 | €24,490 | |
| Extra domain | €250 | once per domain |
Source: the CGA document "License Fees under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance", version 2.0 of 15.10.2025, re-posted on 12.10.2026, and Articles 5.18-5.19 of the LOK. These are regulator fees excluding intermediaries, office and staff.
If the yearly invoice is unpaid: reminders on day 15 and 29, a suspension notice on day 43, a 21-day suspension on day 57, and revocation with an Enforcement Register entry on day 71. All fees are non-refundable.
Requirements for the operator
- A Curacao company (N.V. or B.V.) with its registered seat on the island and at least one resident director. goAML registration is mandatory.
- Owners: disclose every beneficial owner above 10%. Refusal is mandatory if an owner or manager was convicted of an acquisitive crime, money laundering or terrorist financing in the last 8 years, or the source of funds is unproven.
- Substance: for the first 4 years at least 1 full-time key person living on Curacao and an own office, from year 5 at least 3 people. Compliance is due no earlier than 01.04.2027.
- An AML compliance officer: 2 years of experience plus a degree or certificate (CAMS or similar), or 4 years of experience, 10 hours of training a year, not combined with owner or CEO roles; outsourcing is allowed.
- Responsible gambling: self-exclusion for at least 12 months with options of 1, 3, 5, 10 years and lifetime; a deposit limit increase takes effect after 7 days, a decrease at once.
- Technical: critical player, bet and payment records are kept on a server in a Tier IV data centre on Curacao (details await a separate decree). Games are tested to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ontario, British Columbia, UK or Malta standards.
- Reporting: incidents within 24 hours, changes twice a year, annual reports by 30 June. Player complaints: a reply within 4 weeks, then alternative dispute resolution (ADR) at the operator's cost.
How long it takes by law
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Completeness check (each phase) | 2 weeks |
| Phase 1: owners, key persons, finances | 8 weeks, plus up to 4 |
| Phase 2 documents | within 4 weeks of the phase 1 decision |
| Phase 2: all other requirements | 8 weeks, plus up to 4 |
| B2B supplier licence | 8 weeks, plus up to 8 |
With checks and extensions that comes to roughly 5-7 months (our estimate), and the provisional licence during phase 2 lets you start earlier. Since the portal went offline in October 2026, portal filing deadlines are on hold until it is replaced.
Restricted countries: no list, full responsibility
Neither the LOK nor the CGA policies list prohibited countries. Instead there is a rule: the operator's terms must state where play is prohibited or restricted, and the operator must obey the law of every country it serves. The CGA may revoke a licence if another country's authority finds, in a final decision, that the licensee breaks its gambling law. Sanctions apply, and crypto from sanctioned addresses or mixers is banned.
Lists of "23 countries" and the like appear only from consultants and contradict each other. In practice countries with their own regulation are closed with geo-blocking. In Ukraine, PlayCity explicitly lists a Curacao licence as a sign of an illegal site.
How to verify a Curacao licence
- The CGA register (PDF): licence number, company, B2C or B2B type, dates and status. Statuses: Indefinite, Assessment in progress, Expired, Revoked. The 21.09.2026 version has 665 entries: 571 B2C and 94 B2B.
- The site seal: clicking a B2C seal should open cert.cga.cw showing the same domain, operator and status. A different domain on the seal page means the site is not authorised.
- The Enforcement Register: revoked, suspended and lapsed licences.
- Careful in 2026: the seals have been affected since 07.10.2026, and cga.cw was intermittently down in October. Check the register and ignore look-alike domains: curacaogamingauthority.com does not belong to the regulator.
What a Curacao licence does not give
- The right to operate in regulated markets. Where a country requires its own licence you need it, and breaking another country's law leads to revocation.
- Banks and PSPs. The CGA does not assign payment providers; the choice and risk are the operator's, and it keeps its own PSP register.
- A free choice of suppliers after 24.12.2026. Critical services only from CGA-registered suppliers, and games are checked against the regulator's supplier list.
- Protection from foreign regulators. Countries where play is not allowed block sites and fine advertising regardless of a Curacao licence.
For a comparison with Anjouan and other offshore options see the Anjouan licence, and for the full launch budget see how to start an online casino.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Curacao licence cost in 2026?
Official CGA fees: a €4,592 application plus €150 per beneficial owner, then €47,450 a year for B2C (€24,490 to the Treasury and €22,960 to the regulator). A B2B licence costs €24,490 a year. Office, staff, lawyers and the platform are extra.
How long is a Curacao licence valid?
A LOK licence has no expiry: there is no renewal, but yearly fees are due by 15 January, otherwise the licence is revoked after 71 days.
Does Curacao have a list of prohibited countries?
There is no official list. The operator must state in its terms where play is prohibited and obey the law of each country it serves. Breaking another country's law can cost the licence.
How long does it take to get the licence?
By law two review phases of 8 weeks each, extendable by 4 weeks, plus completeness checks. In total roughly 5-7 months, and a provisional licence lets you start during phase 2.
How do you check a casino's Curacao licence?
Find the company in the CGA PDF register and check its status, then click the seal on the site: it should lead to cert.cga.cw with the same domain. Since October 2026 the seals are unreliable, so the register is safer.
Can you serve Ukraine with a Curacao licence?
No. Taking players from Ukraine requires a PlayCity licence, and the regulator treats a Curacao licence as a sign of an illegal site.
The bottom line: in 2026 Curacao is no longer a cheap sub-licence but a direct licence with your own company, a resident director, compliance and a server on the island. Fees are predictable at €47,450 a year, but the review takes 5-7 months, and the 2026 CGA portal outages matter when applying and verifying.
Next breakdownHow to start an online casino in 2026: licence, platform, traffic and budgetHow to start an online casino in 2026: the licence and its price, white label or turnkey, payments, games, player cost by GEO and the first-year budget. Fresh, dated numbers.Read
