Curaçao Gaming Control Board (Curaçao GCB)
Jurisdiction
The Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB) is the body behind Curaçao's online-gambling licences, now operating as the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) under the 2024 National Ordinance on Games of Chance (the LOK). Historically the GCB oversaw land-based casinos and lotteries while four private master-licence holders sub-licensed online operators. The LOK ended that model: the CGA now issues every online gaming licence directly, in the format OGL/YYYY/NNN/NNNN, and runs a public register plus a certificate-verification portal. It sets responsible-gambling and anti-money-laundering rules and can suspend or revoke a licence.
Advertising rules
Curaçao sets no centralised advertising-approval scheme, so affiliate and marketing compliance falls to the player's own country and the operator's terms. Licensed operators must advertise responsibly, must not target minors or vulnerable people, and must honour deposit, time and self-exclusion limits under the LOK. The practical rule for readers: a real Curaçao seal links to a live certificate on cert.cga.cw that matches the casino's domain. Treat any seal that does not resolve as unverified.
2026 rule changes
- — The LOK (National Ordinance on Games of Chance, PB 2024 no. 157) entered into force, abolishing the master/sub-licence model and making the CGA the direct licensor for all online gaming. [source]
- — Provisional licences were extended (to 24 December 2025 for selected holders) so operators could demonstrate compliance and progress toward a full CGA licence. [source]
- — Legacy master licences (Antillephone, Cyberluck, Gaming Curaçao, CIL) have effectively expired; former sub-licensees must hold a direct CGA licence, while a large backlog leaves many operators in provisional status. [source]
National self-exclusion register
GAMSTOP (UK self-exclusion) — https://www.gamstop.co.uk/
Responsible gambling resources
18+. Gambling can be addictive — play responsibly. Free, confidential help: GamCare or call 0808 8020 133.
How a Curaçao licence works in 2026
Until the LOK took effect, a Curaçao operator did not hold a licence from the government at all. It held a sub-licence from one of four private master holders: Antillephone (8048/JAZ), Cyberluck / Curaçao eGaming (1668/JAZ), Gaming Curaçao (365/JAZ) or Curaçao Interactive Licensing (5536/JAZ). The 2024 LOK abolished that chain. The Curaçao Gaming Authority now issues every online licence directly in the OGL/YYYY/NNN/NNNN format, for example OGL/2024/1274/0819, and publishes each licensee on its register. That shift matters because the old master-licence numbers are being retired. A casino still flashing only an `8048/JAZ` Antillephone seal in 2026, with no direct OGL number, is relying on a credential that no longer carries weight.
What a Curaçao licence means for players
A Curaçao licence is an offshore permit, not an EU-grade consumer guarantee. Under the LOK the CGA requires deposit, time and spend limits, operator-level self-exclusion of at least six months, and AML and identity checks. There is no centralised national self-exclusion register, so the self-exclusion you set at one casino does not follow you to another. We treat Curaçao as our Offshore-Verified tier: legitimate when the licence verifies, but thinner on player protection than the Malta or UK regulators. The casinos we have reviewed under this licence are listed at the foot of this page, each with our own licensing score from the 5-component rubric we publish in our methodology.
How to verify a Curaçao licence (our method)
We confirmed in June 2026 that the CGA register at cga.cw resolves to a working lookup that lists land-based casinos, online gaming licences, certificates and an enforcement register. To check any operator yourself:
Find the licence claim in the casino footer or terms. Note whether it cites a direct OGL/… number or only a legacy /JAZ master licence.
Open the CGA public register and search the operator or licence number.
Click the seal on the casino site. A genuine seal opens a certificate on cert.cga.cw whose domain matches the site you are on.
If the footer claim, the register entry and the live certificate disagree, treat the licence as unproven. We flag that mismatch in the relevant review rather than taking the footer at face value.
This is the triangulation we run on every review: the operator's own claim, the regulator's register, and a third independent check. We never rely on a single source, because cached licence directories lag the live register by weeks during the 2025-2026 transition.
Frequently asked questions
Is a Curaçao-licensed casino safe? It can be, once the OGL licence verifies on the CGA register and the on-site certificate matches the domain. The licence offers real but limited protection, so it suits informed players who check the seal first. GCB or CGA, which is it? The same institution. The Gaming Control Board is being reconstituted as the independent Curaçao Gaming Authority under the LOK, which now covers both land-based and online gaming. My casino only shows an 8048/JAZ seal. Is that valid? That is a legacy master-licence reference. In 2026 it should be paired with, or replaced by, a direct CGA licence. If there is no OGL number, ask support for it before depositing. What if the seal does not open a certificate? Do not deposit. A seal that links nowhere, or to a certificate for a different domain, is the most common sign of a fake or lapsed licence.