The Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA) has issued a sharp warning to companies using Curacao-registered entities to secure foreign gaming licenses, declaring such practices unlawful under the country’s updated gaming regulations.
Effective July 1st, 2025, the CGA clarified that entities based in Curacao must hold a valid CGA-issued license to legally offer any form of games of chance. Citing Article 1.2(1) of the National Ordinance for Games of Chance (LOK), the regulator stated that no company may provide gaming services ‘in or from Curacao’ without its direct approval.
While historically some companies incorporated in Curacao have operated under foreign B2C licenses issued by regulators outside the jurisdiction, the CGA now considers this not only illegal under local law but also misleading to consumers, service providers, and business partners.
‘Using a Curacao entity as a legal shell to obtain or operate under a foreign license gives the false impression that such activity is authorized or supervised locally, which it is not,’ the CGA noted in its announcement.
According to the regulator, this practice can lead payment providers, software suppliers, and other B2B partners to mistakenly believe they are supporting licensed activity, when in fact they are facilitating unlicensed and potentially criminal operations under Curacao law.
The CGA emphasized that continued use of Curacao-registered companies for operations under foreign licenses may constitute a violation of the Criminal Code, and warned that individuals and companies enabling such activity – knowingly or otherwise – could be held liable.
To enforce the new rules, the CGA will begin issuing formal cease-and-desist notices in the coming days to Curacao-registered firms operating under non-CGA licenses. The regulator’s move is part of a wider compliance push under the newly enacted LOK regime, which aims to replace the outdated master license model with a modern, transparent regulatory framework.
The CGA’s latest statement underscores its commitment to curbing regulatory arbitrage and restoring credibility to Curacao’s online gambling industry by closing long-standing loopholes that have allowed companies to use local registration for overseas regulatory gain.
