How to get a gambling licence in Curaçao: fees and steps

The CGA licenses and supervises online gaming and is the AML/CFT supervisor of gambling providers.

• The CGA is the former Stichting Gaming Control Board, designated under its existing name as the CGA from 24 December 2024 (LOK Art. 15.2). It is an independent administrative body.
• Political responsibility for the CGA moved from the Minister of Finance to the Minister of Justice on 19 August 2025.
• The CGA keeps a free public register of online licences, supplier licences, certificates and enforcement actions, published as dated PDFs.
• Land-based casinos, lotteries and bingo stay under older ordinances and are not covered here.

Laws that apply

• Landsverordening op de kansspelen (LOK), National Ordinance on Games of Chance, P.B. 2024, no. 157: in force 24 December 2024; the supplier-licence duty (Art. 1.5) and the ban on buying critical goods and services from unregistered suppliers (Art. 5.16(4)) from 24 December 2026.
• CGA licence conditions for the indefinite-term online gaming licence (B2C) and supplier licence (B2B), in force since 17 and 22 December 2025.
• CGA policies: License Fees v2.0 (15 October 2025), License Reclassification (15 October 2025), Responsible Gaming Policy v1.0 (21 February 2025), Player Complaints Policy v1.1 (18 June 2025), ADR Role and Certification, Compliance and Enforcement Policy, Terms and Conditions guideline (April 2026), Crypto Policy Guideline (June 2026), B2C Operations Manual Guidelines (September 2026).
• AML/CFT: the National Ordinance on Identification when Rendering Services (NOIS) and the National Ordinance on the Reporting of Unusual Transactions (NORUT), with the CGA as supervisor of gambling providers and its AML/CFT regulations of 10 January 2025.
• Repealed: the Landsverordening buitengaatse hazardspelen (NOOGH, P.B. 1993, no. 63), the offshore ordinance; applications pending under it are still handled under it.

One B2C licence covers every remote game; suppliers of critical services and goods hold a supplier licence.

Only a Curaçao N.V. or B.V. with its statutory seat in Curaçao can hold a licence; a branch of a foreign company cannot.

• The company must be managed by at least one natural person resident in Curaçao, or by a Curaçao company so managed (LOK Art. 2.1(4)).
• Owners may be of any nationality. The CGA tests the identity of every UBO, qualified-interest holder (10% or more) and policy-maker, convictions for offences for unlawful gain in the last eight years, source of funds, tax debts and links to suspended or revoked licences.
• A B2C licensee needs a compliance officer under the NOIS and NORUT, who cannot also be a UBO, CEO, CFO or COO.
• No minimum share capital, bank guarantee or local bank account is required; the applicant must show liquid funds to pay the prizes it can expect to award.
• Critical player and transaction records must be accessible to the CGA on a server in a Tier-IV certified data centre in Curaçao.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis in two phases, on the CGA forms.

• Phase 1 reviews integrity and the applicant’s financial position and viability; phase 2 the other legal requirements. The LOK decision periods add up to 28 weeks at most, not counting completeness checks or time waiting for documents.
• Forms: the B2C application form, the Business and Corporate Information Form (with a business plan and three-year forecast), a Personal History Disclosure Form for each person, and for suppliers the Supplier License Application Form.
• The CGA starts work only once the application fee is paid. The licence is granted, and the seal issued, after the first annual fees are paid within 14 days of the CGA’s notice.
• The CGA’s online licensing portal was closed after a security incident and will not return; a temporary portal was scheduled for 19 October 2026, and the first step is the “Register your company” form at apply.cga.cw.
• A decision can be challenged by objection to the CGA within six weeks, then appeal to the Court of First Instance.

Every fee is a fixed euro amount set in the LOK; none depends on revenue.

No gambling tax is levied on gross gaming revenue, turnover or stakes; the general Curaçao taxes apply.

• Profit tax (winstbelasting): 15% on the first 500,000 of taxable profit and 22% above. The tax office states the 2% E-zone rate applied up to and including 2022.
• Turnover tax (omzetbelasting), not VAT: casino games are exempt; lotteries, scratch cards, number games and bingo carry 9%; the general rate is 6%. The statute does not say whether remote casino games fall within the exemption.
• The LOK, the licence conditions and the CGA policies impose no tax on players’ winnings and no withholding duty on the licensee.

The licence conditions, the CGA policies and the AML/CFT ordinances set the day-to-day duties.

• Games and equipment must be tested and certified by a CGA-approved lab; the CGA recognises the technical standards of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ontario, British Columbia, the United Kingdom and Malta.
• Domains covered by the licence are listed in the CGA account; adding or removing one needs the CGA’s prior permission.
• Players: minimum age 18; deposit limits and cooling-off periods must be offered; self-exclusion is per operator, at least 12 months and irrevocable in that term; there is no national register.
• Customer due diligence is due at NAf 4,000; a player who does not supply the documents within 30 days is closed out.
• Crypto stakes are allowed with conditions: the coin must trade on licensed exchanges, prizes are paid in the same coin, and the licensee may not exchange crypto.
• Complaints: answer within four weeks (extendable once by four); ADR through a CGA-certified provider at the licensee’s cost; complaints reports twice a year; annual accounts by 30 June.

A CGA licence authorises the offer from Curaçao; each market decides whether its players may be served.

• Of the 53 markets in our research database as of 23 October 2026, 51 require their own licence to serve their players, New Zealand will from 1 December 2026, and in Zambia only a licence under its Betting Control Act counts.
• The licence conditions require the licensee to follow the laws of every country where it offers games.
• In some markets Curaçao-licensed operators serve players without a local licence (seen in Azerbaijan, El Salvador and the United Arab Emirates on the operators’ own pages); France’s gambling regulator has said it will refer offshore operators registered in Curaçao to prosecutors.

The CGA can fine, suspend and revoke; it cannot order a website blocked.

• Administrative fines up to the sixth criminal-fine category, Cg 1,000,000; suspension for up to three months, extendable by three; revocation.
• Operating without a licence is an offence: up to four years’ imprisonment when intentional.
• The register of 20 October 2026 printed 50 revoked rows; the Enforcement Register of 14 September 2026 lists 32 licences. The CGA publishes public warnings about sites falsely claiming its licence.

The path to a CGA online gaming licence (B2C). A supplier follows the same two phases with the supplier form and fees.

1. 01

   Incorporate in Curaçao

   N.V. or B.V.

   Set up a Curaçao N.V. or B.V. with its statutory seat in Curaçao, registered with the Chamber of Commerce, and managed by at least one resident of Curaçao.

2. 02

   Register the company with the CGA

   apply.cga.cw

   Complete the CGA’s “Register your company” form; once the Licensing department accepts it, the application continues on the organisation’s own site.

3. 03

   File phase 1 and pay the fee

   EUR 4,592 + EUR 150 per UBO

   Submit the B2C form, the Business and Corporate Information Form and a Personal History Disclosure Form for each UBO, qualified-interest holder and key person. Work starts when the fee is paid.

4. 04

   Clear phase 2

   Up to 28 weeks in all

   The CGA reviews the remaining requirements, including its player-protection, AML and terms-and-conditions documents and its ADR provider. It may grant a provisional licence for up to six months, extendable by six.

5. 05

   Pay the first annual fees

   EUR 47,450 a year

   Pay the pro-rata first invoices within 14 days of the CGA’s notice; the licence is then granted for an indefinite period. Later years are due by 15 January.

Tier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 23 Oct 2026.