Curaçao reopening gambling licensing portal

The previous application window shut in Curaçao on 30 April, which was the deadline for sublicenses . This was after the initial deadline of 31 March was pushed back by almost a month to allow issues with applications to be fixed.

B2C, B2B2C and B2B operators are able to apply. Despite the new application window, applications made before the 30 April deadline will remain the priority for processing.

New applications will not be processed until all the current ones are complete. The latest window coincides with a wave of master licences expiring in August.

The GCB said master licences would not be renewed after they expire. Should the new regulator, the National Ordinance for Games of Chance (LOK) come into effect ahead of the final expiration date in January 2025, master licences will automatically expire on that enactment date.

It’s currently unclear when the new submission deadline for operators will be.

Applications will be processed under the National Ordinance on Offshore Games of Hazard (NOOGH) legislation and not the incoming LOK, which is in the process of progressing through the Curaçao parliament.

The guidelines in Curaçao

In March, the GCB released a nine-page document outlining the guidelines for applications.

Only minor changes have been made ahead of the new application window. These include the portal user no longer requiring an authorisation letter.

At ICE London in February Cedric Pietersz, GCB managing director said of the licensing process: “Imagine that you have a sub-licence of a master licence holder, whose licence expires on 31 August,” Pietersz stated. “That means if you don’t apply and it’s 31 March, you can continue operating on your licence.”

“But after 31 August, which is the date of the expiration of your master licence, you will be operating illegally because you don’t have a sub-licence and you don’t have a licence from the Gaming Control Board.”

Implementation of the LOK

Curaçao has been in the process of introducing a new regulatory framework since September last year, when the GCB first opened the application process.

Since then, Curaçao minister of justice Javier Silvania has highlighted the need to implement the LOK on numerous occasions.

For instance, Silvania stated the LOK would establish a “safety net” against grey market operators by legitimising operations and tightening AML and KYC processes. Silvania also told the Curaçao parliament the LOK would help to improve the reputation of the jurisdiction, which had been seen by some as prone to money laundering.

The LOK is expected to come in later this year, at which point the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) will take over as regulator and oversee the issuing of licences.