Curaçao casinos: how the Curaçao licence works

What is a Curaçao gaming licence?

A Curaçao gaming licence is permission from the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) to offer games of chance. The CGA issues licences under the island’s gambling law, the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (Landsverordening op de kansspelen, LOK), which came into force on 24 December 2024. If a casino holds a valid Curaçao licence that covers exactly the domain you are visiting, the CGA supervises it.

Casinos that offer games directly to players need a B2C (business-to-consumer) licence. Suppliers of games and systems need a B2B (business-to-business) licence, a requirement that applies from 24 December 2026. The licence goes to a company, not a brand, and at least one person who manages the company must live in Curaçao.

Full licence or provisional licence

As a rule, the law grants a Curaçao licence without a time limit. While the CGA is still investigating an application, it can instead issue a provisional licence that runs for up to six months and can be extended by up to six months more. The rules for licence holders apply to holders of a provisional licence too. Estonia works differently: only the activity licence has no end date, and an operating permit for online casino games lasts five years at most. We explain this under Estonia’s gambling licence.

Under the CGA’s instructions from July 2026, a company has six weeks to wind down if the CGA refuses to extend its provisional licence or refuses it a full licence. From the day of the refusal, it may no longer use the CGA seal, take on new players or let existing players place bets.

For players, this means a Curaçao licence can have an expiry date. It isn’t enough to see that a casino has a Curaçao licence: you also need to see which kind it is and whether it is still valid. To see how the Curaçao licence compares with other licences, read our guide to casino licences.

From Curaçao eGaming to the CGA

Before the new system, online casinos got their Curaçao licence in a different way. From the mid-1990s, the system rested on a 1993 law. Under it, a few companies, including Antillephone, Curaçao eGaming and Gaming Curaçao, held master licences. They issued sub-licences to casinos, which could then show a seal from their master licence holder. In the same decade, in 1999, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission in Canada adopted its rules for online gambling.

That is why you still come across the old names. If a casino mentions Curaçao eGaming, Gaming Curaçao or Antillephone, it refers to the old sub-licence system. The island’s name is also often written without the ç, as Curacao, including in casinos’ terms.

The move to direct licences

In November 2023, the authority, then called the Gaming Control Board, began accepting direct licence applications from casinos. The first direct licences were issued in 2024, with numbers starting with OGL. A casino with a direct licence may therefore still name the Gaming Control Board.

When the LOK came into force on 24 December 2024, the Gaming Control Board became the Curaçao Gaming Authority. Companies that held an old-law licence and ran their own games automatically received a provisional licence at the same time. The sub-licence system ended for good on 15 October 2025, when the old sub-licence seals expired, and a sub-licence from a master licence holder has not been valid since.

Where is Curaçao?

Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, about 65 km north of the coast of Venezuela. Its capital, Willemstad, is about 8,370 km from Copenhagen in a straight line. The island has been an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands since 10 October 2010.

Is Curaçao in the EU?

No. Curaçao is one of the overseas countries and territories (OCTs) linked to the EU, but it is not part of the EU, so a Curaçao licence is not an EU licence. If you are looking for a casino licensed in an EU or EEA country, see our page on EU-licensed casinos.

The CGA licence register and the seal

Every licence is listed in the CGA licence register. It holds a PDF list of online gaming licences, an enforcement register and a list of certificates for businesses that supply services to licence holders. The PDF list of online gaming licences is updated regularly. When we checked it on 9 November 2026, it had last been updated on 5 November 2026.

How to read the status in the register

Each licence is listed with its number, company, licence type, issue date and, where relevant, an expiry date and a status. A full licence is shown as “Indefinite”, meaning it has no time limit. Other licences have an expiry date, whether their number starts with OGL or CGA. A licence issued on 20 October 2026 may, for example, expire on 20 April 2027. Nor does the issue date show when a particular casino opened, because one company can run several casinos on the same licence. We explain how to tell how new a casino is on our page about new casinos.

Some licences are shown as “Assessment in progress”; the register doesn’t explain this status further. Withdrawn licences appear as “Revoked” (some at the company’s own request), and expired ones as “Expired”.

The CGA says on the register page that its overviews don’t guarantee a licence is valid right now and that no rights can be derived from them. Use the register together with the certificate, not instead of it.

Seal and certificate

The CGA issues two kinds of certificate, each with its own seal. A casino that offers games to players must show the seal of a Certificate of Operation, which applies to one specific domain. That is the certificate you open in the “Click the seal” step above.

If the seal looks different from the CGA’s, the CGA says the site is not authorised. If the certificate shows a different domain, the site should be treated as unauthorised or fraudulent. The other certificate, the License Certificate, only shows that a company holds a licence. It is not tied to a domain and does not authorise a player-facing casino site.

You can also see the Curaçao licence side by side with the others in our casino licence comparison.

The Curaçao licence and players in Denmark

Restricted countries and Danish law

The CGA’s April 2026 guidelines on casino terms contain no list of countries that casinos must refuse. Instead, a casino must tell players in its terms where play is permitted and where it is restricted or prohibited. The guidelines also stress the casino’s duty to follow the law in the countries where it offers games.

A Curaçao licence does not allow a casino to offer gambling in Denmark, because that requires a Danish licence from the Danish Gambling Authority (Spillemyndigheden). The Danish Gambling Act applies to gambling operators and also provides for fines for anyone who seeks to make a living from unlicensed gambling. We have not found a rule that punishes an ordinary player. Nor does the Danish Gambling Authority supervise a Curaçao casino, so the CGA’s rules and the casino’s terms decide where you can complain. Our page about foreign casinos explains what else this means for you.

Our Curaçao casinos

Four of the casinos we list hold a Curaçao licence: Zizobet, Velobet, Rolletto and Cosmobet. All four are run by Santeda International B.V. under the same licence, OGL/2024/1798/1048. When we read their terms on 2 November 2026, they refused players from countries including Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Georgia and the USA. Denmark was not on the list.

The terms also say that each casino only accepts players from countries where online gambling is allowed by law, and that it is the player’s sole responsibility to know the rules in their own country. Read the terms yourself before you open an account. If you would rather play at a casino with an EU licence, read about casinos licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

Curaçao casino bonuses and free spins

All four Curaçao casinos in our selection show a welcome bonus on their cards. We have not found a fixed limit on the size of a bonus in the Curaçao Gaming Authority’s guideline or in the law, so the terms matter more than the percentage.

Welcome bonuses and free spins in our selection

• Zizobet: a 550% welcome bonus and 50 free spins.
• Velobet: 150% up to €2,000 and 300 free spins.
• Rolletto: 150% up to €1,500 and €200 in free bets.
• Cosmobet: 100% up to €1,000 and 100 free spins.

The offers can change and may not apply in Denmark, so check the terms for your country.

Curaçao casino no deposit bonus

Many people search for a Curaçao no deposit bonus, meaning a bonus you get without paying in. None of our cards shows one. If you come across one elsewhere, read the terms before you open an account: how much you may withdraw, whether you must deposit before a withdrawal, and how long the offer lasts.

What bonus terms must say

The Curaçao Gaming Authority has a guideline on licensees’ terms and conditions. It says bonus terms must be clear, fair and prominently shown, and that you must accept them before you take part. Among other things, they must state:

• The wagering requirements and how they are calculated.
• Expiry periods and withdrawal restrictions.
• When bonus funds can be confiscated or forfeited.
• Whether bonus funds can be withdrawn, and on what conditions.

The law also says bonuses must not mislead, encourage excessive play or target vulnerable people. If you cannot find these details, leave the bonus alone.

Payment methods at Curaçao casinos: cards and crypto

According to our information, all four Curaçao casinos in the selection accept Visa, Mastercard, Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. Some also have Apple Pay, Google Pay, Skrill, Neteller or Paysafecard, but Dankort, MobilePay and Trustly are not on the cards. The minimum deposit is €10 or €20.

The CGA’s guideline says the terms must name all deposit and withdrawal methods and the expected processing time for each. They must also state when the casino asks for proof of identity, particularly when your total deposits and withdrawals go above about €2,000.

Curaçao crypto casinos: what to know

A CGA guideline from June 2026 requires, among other things, that casinos screen wallets at deposit and withdrawal and keep players’ crypto apart from their own. Full compliance is due in June 2027. Remember too that a Bitcoin payment cannot be called back: according to bitcoin.org, only the receiver can send the money back.

How to complain about a Curaçao casino

Your first complaint goes to the casino. Under the LOK, you can complain free of charge within six months of the incident, in English, Dutch or Papiamentu. The casino must confirm in writing within a week that it has received your complaint, and give you a reasoned answer within four weeks. Under the CGA’s complaints policy, that deadline can be extended once by four weeks if the casino tells you in writing.

Some casinos set a shorter complaint deadline in their terms, so complain as soon as you can and keep your evidence.

Independent dispute resolution

If the casino doesn’t resolve your complaint, you can take it to an independent alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body. The casino must offer this, and it is free for you because the casino pays all the costs. If the terms don’t name the ADR body, ask the casino which one it uses. Once a case has been closed by one ADR body, it can’t be started again with another. You can find the complaints policy on the CGA’s online gaming regulation page.

What the CGA does and doesn’t do

The CGA doesn’t handle individual complaints and, as a rule, doesn’t change the decision of the casino or the ADR body. By its own account, it is not a court and cannot order a casino to pay compensation. If you think the casino is breaking the rules, you can still write to the CGA at [email protected], and the casino may not stop you from doing so. The CGA uses these reports in its supervision but doesn’t say what happens in an individual case. The regulator for Gibraltar casinos cannot order a casino to pay compensation either, but it does handle the complaint and reach a decision.

Governing law

A Curaçao casino’s terms must state that the agreement is governed by Curaçao law and that disputes go to a court in Curaçao. The complaint route works differently under other licences outside the EU, for example for casinos licensed in Anjouan (Comoros).

Is a Curaçao gaming licence legit?

A licence is not a guarantee, and that goes for a Curaçao licence too. It does mean the casino belongs to a company with at least one manager living in Curaçao, is listed in a public register and is supervised by the CGA. Here is what the licence gives you and what it doesn’t.

What a Curaçao licence gives you

• A public register and a certificate that shows whether the licence covers exactly the domain you are visiting.
• Supervision of the casino’s domains, terms and responsible-gambling tools, and a requirement to keep players’ money in a separate account (in the CGA’s words, a “segregated or federated account”).
• A complaint route in which the casino must answer within four weeks, or eight with an extension, and pay for an ADR body.
• A ban on giving players credit and on letting minors play.

What a Curaçao licence doesn’t give you

• A licence from an EU country: Curaçao is not part of the EU.
• An authority that decides your case if you and the casino disagree.
• Certainty that the licence will still be valid tomorrow: a provisional licence can expire, and an assessment may still be ongoing.
• Danish supervision: the Danish Gambling Authority does not supervise the casino.

Whatever the licence, you decide how much you play. Read more on our page about responsible gambling. If you need to talk to someone, advice from StopSpillet is free and confidential.