Curaçao LOK Licensing Shift Starts as CGA Portal Opens
The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) opened an online portal in July 2026 for operators to submit documentation for direct remote gambling licences, according to World Casino Directory. The move falls under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), dated 20 December 2024 and issued on 23 December 2024. The ordinance bars remote gambling operations in or from Curaçao without a CGA-issued licence. The same report expects the first direct licences to be issued in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Direct Licensing Replaces Rented Licence Cover
World Casino Directory frames the reform as the end of Curaçao’s four-master-licence structure, under which holders sold sub-licences to third-party brands. The ordinance itself bars licence transfers and assignment of licence use outright, a sharp break from the rented-licence model that shaped the island’s offshore market for decades.
Applicants must also be Curaçao-registered companies with at least one Curaçao-resident manager. For remote gambling, the licensing process runs in two phases. The first phase checks the integrity of ultimate beneficial owners, qualified interest holders and policy decision-makers, plus the applicant’s financial condition and viability. The second phase covers wider regulatory requirements.
By contrast, the real cost base runs higher than the NAƒ 48,000 annual fee World Casino Directory cites. The LOK sets the Article 5.1 remote gaming licence at €47,450 per year: €22,960 payable to the CGA and €24,490 payable to the National Treasury. A separate €4,592 application fee applies before review, with additional charges tied to UBOs and qualified interest holders.
UBOs and Funds Face Tougher Checks
The CGA can refuse a licence if it cannot verify the identity of UBOs, qualified interest holders or key decision-makers. It can also reject applications where source of funds or wealth is unclear, licence fees or tax debts remain unpaid, or the applicant cannot prove enough liquid assets to cover expected player payouts.
This structure gives the regulator a direct view of ownership, funding and player-liability risk before a licence reaches approval. For operators used to sub-licence access, the bigger change is not the filing process alone. It is the need to prove control over the corporate structure, money flow and financial capacity behind the brand.
Supplier Rules Phase in Later
The LOK also creates a supplier-licensing and public-register regime for critical services. However, the ordinance delays the supplier-licence prohibition and the ban on buying from unregistered suppliers until two years after entry into force.
This leaves B2B suppliers more time than some summaries of the reform suggest, though the obligation itself does not disappear. Suppliers that provide critical services to Curaçao-facing operators should register early, particularly those that support operators who intend to file through the new CGA portal.
💡TGJ Take
The portal launch is the real trigger here, not the ordinance itself, which has been law since December 2024. For Curaçao-facing operators, the practical issue is budget and evidence: €47,450 a year, a separate application fee, UBO checks and source-of-funds documentation all need to be ready before review. Suppliers have more runway because the hard licensing ban phases in later, though a delay at the cutoff still creates avoidable commercial risk. Affiliates should treat CGA status as a live partner-screening item through the fourth quarter of 2026, when the first direct licences are expected.
