Pursuant to the National Ordinance on Offshore Games of Hazard (PB 1993, no. 63) (NOOGH)), the Governor of Curaçao is authorized to grant a license to operate online games of chance on the international market.By national decree of December 23, 2019, no. 19/2434, the Minister of Finance of Curaçao has been mandated, on behalf of the Governor, the responsiblity for policy-making and implementation with regard to the LBH.
By ministerial order of March 24, 2020, No. 2020/00449623, the Minister of Finance has mandated the powers granted to him with regard to offshore games of hazard to the Curaçao Gaming Control Board (“GCB”). On behalf of the Minister of Finance, the GCB is thus charged with granting licenses for and supervising the online gaming sector.
The licensing and supervision on the basis of the NOOGH shall takes place in light of the following (internationally accepted) objectives:
In order for these objectives to be met, a safe, responsible, reliable and a transparent supply of games of chance in or from Curaçao must be guaranteed, where, notwithstanding overlap that may exist between the definitions:
Based on the above, the GCB can:
The applicant for the license must be a legal entity that has been incorporated under the laws of Curaçao and has its registered office in Curaçao. Only applicants that do the following critical activities are eligible for a license:
The applicant should fill out and submit an Online Gaming License Application Form, a Business and Corporate Disclosure Form and a Personal History Disclosure Form for every qualifying person.
Within the handling of the license application, the GCB will focus on:
The application forms and other required documents for the application can be found here.
The GCB decides within two months of receipt of the application that has been submitted in accordance with all applicable requirements.
The validity period of the license is a maximum of one year, subject to earlier revocation or (transitional) provisions applicable under future Curacao laws.
Conditions will be attached to the license that apply to all holders of a license. Conditions that apply to licenses granted by the GCB directly to operators that offer games of chance by means of distance communication on the international market can be found here. Specific conditions that apply to individual license holders due to specific circumstances may be attached to the license.
Licensees must pay a fee set by national decree as referred to in the NOOGH.