Curaçao to Reopen Online Portal for B2C and B2B Licence Applications

The previous application window in Curaçao closed on 30 April, marking the deadline for sublicenses. This followed an extension from the initial 31 March deadline to address application issues.

B2C, B2B2C, and B2B operators can apply for an updated license, with applications submitted before the 30 April deadline given processing priority. New applications will be processed only after all current filings are completed.

The GCB noted that the latest window coincided with a wave of master licenses expiring in August, which will not be renewed. An updated regulatory framework, called the National Ordinance for Games of Chance (LOK), has been in development since September 2023 when the GCB first established its new licensing window process.

Master licenses set to expire in January 2025 will automatically expire once the new regulation takes effect, according to the GCB. As the incoming LOK is still making its way through parliament, applications will be processed under the current National Ordinance on Offshore Games of Hazard (NOOGH) legislation.

In March, the GCB released a nine-page document outlining application guidelines. Only minor changes have been made ahead of the new application window, such as no longer requiring an authorization letter from the portal user.

At ICE London in February, Cedric Pietersz, the GCB managing director, discussed the licensing process:

“Imagine that you have a sub-license of a master license holder, whose license expires on 31 August. That means if you don’t apply, and it’s 31 March, you can continue operating on your license.

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