The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) has announced a significant enforcement action against illegal online casino operators originating from within the jurisdiction.
The authority is reinforcing its regulatory framework to ensure all gaming activities comply with national laws.
In a recent public declaration, the CGA highlighted its commitment to upholding the National Ordinance for Games of Chance (LOK). The authority specifically referenced Article 1.2 (1) of the ordinance, which explicitly prohibits the organization or provision of games of chance without a valid license issued by the CGA.
The article states:
Without, or contrary to, a CGA-issued gaming license, or without any other legal authority to do so, it is not allowed to organize, or provide the opportunity to play, any game of chance in or from Curaçao.
The regulator identified a pressing issue wherein numerous companies registered in Curaçao are operating under foreign B2B licenses.
The CGA has classified this practice as illegal, noting that it misleads both players and legitimate providers and potentially facilitates broader illicit gaming activities, which could also be in violation of the nation’s Criminal Code.
To address this, the CGA has confirmed its intention to issue formal cease-and-desist orders to all Curaçao-based businesses found to be unlawfully utilizing foreign licenses. This measure is part of a larger initiative to strengthen the country’s regulatory oversight, moving away from its historically lenient stance.
This crackdown follows the landmark approval of the LOK framework by the Curaçao parliament in December 2023, which modernized the nation’s original online gaming regulations from the 1990s.
This legislative overhaul is designed to bring greater integrity and control to Curaçao’s globally recognized gaming sector, especially the casino operators that use its license.
An example of the new framework in action includes BC.Game, which successfully acquired a license under the LOK system in April 2024.
