Direct regulator license
We handle direct licensing with the Curaçao Gaming Authority under the LOK framework, in force since 24 December 2024. Master and sub-licences are gone: operators are licensed directly by the regulator and listed on a public register. We build the structure, take you through beneficial owner checks and manage all correspondence with the CGA.
We run the project end to end, from incorporating your Curaçao company to the CGA issuing the licence. Final pricing depends on your verticals, the number of domains and how the project is structured.
A realistic year-one budget covering official CGA fees, incorporation and our support. We prepare a costed proposal after a short brief, with a same-day response.
Request a quoteWe prepare and submit the application, but the final decision rests with the regulator. Official CGA fees are paid separately and are not included in our fee.
Operators choose Curaçao when they need a recognisable licence, direct regulatory oversight and credibility with payment providers.
For platforms that have outgrown a starter licence and are opening up to a wider audience.
Casino, betting, poker, lottery and live dealer tables all run under one licence, with no separate application per product.
The regulator permits crypto deposits and withdrawals, provided AML procedures and player verification are in place.
A separate B2B licence for developers, platform providers and payment services working with operators.
What the LOK framework delivers, and how direct licensing differs from the old sub-licence model.
Operators are listed on the public CGA register, with no master licence holder sitting in between
No separate authorisation per product; a single licence covers the full product range
Curaçao remains the most widely recognised offshore licence in the online sector
Crypto is treated on the same footing as fiat, provided the compliance framework holds up
Applications are filed by a local entity incorporated on the island
Every owner holding 10% or more is vetted by the regulator
At least one full-time hire on the island is required from 1 April 2027
Geo-blocking is mandatory and VPN circumvention is actively monitored by the regulator
A Curaçao licence authorises you to operate under the LOK framework, but it does not replace local licences. Geo-blocking is mandatory and configuring it correctly is the operator's responsibility. Here is what is closed off and how it works in practice.
Access must be closed at IP level. The core prohibited list is the same for every licensee:
The block extends to every country on the FATF blacklist. That list is reviewed quarterly, so your settings need updating alongside it.
Not part of the core prohibition, but worth checking individually before you launch:
The full CGA restriction list runs to roughly two dozen countries. Payment providers keep their own lists, and those are often wider than the regulator's.
Traffic from prohibited countries is stopped at platform level, not turned away at sign-up
Operators are accountable for affiliate traffic; affiliate geo-targeting is scrutinised the same way as your own
KYC has to establish residency, not just the country someone is connecting from
The regulator monitors attempts to bypass geo-blocking; penalties run to fines and licence suspension
Every active domain is registered with the CGA and carries the regulator's digital seal
In countries with their own regime, a Curaçao licence is not enough - a local licence is required
Restriction lists are revised by the regulator and by international bodies. Before launch we check the current position against your target markets and your payment providers' own rules.
A licence gives you the right to operate, but it does not open a bank account. A direct CGA licence makes that conversation considerably easier: Curaçao sits within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and EU banks will take on local companies. Full acquiring access is still usually routed through an EU payment entity.
A Curaçao company can open accounts with EMIs and specialist EU banks. The CGA register is public, so providers verify your licence status directly rather than chasing a middleman.
Card processing is arranged through specialist providers. Because Curaçao is the most widely recognised licence in the sector, the range of available PSPs and local payment methods is noticeably broader than with smaller offshore regimes.
Crypto deposits and withdrawals are permitted under the standard licence, but wallets must be held by the company - personal wallets belonging to beneficial owners are prohibited. Providers will examine your ownership structure and target markets, so we build the file before you apply.
We assess your verticals, target markets and provider requirements before the application starts. We cannot guarantee an account will be opened - that decision sits with the bank or provider.
Three to six months. The application runs in two phases: the regulator vets the owners first, then reviews the technical and operational side. Files that are ready in advance move noticeably faster.
We look at what the platform does, which markets it serves and who owns it. If we can see something will be difficult, we say so straight away - better to know before you pay than after.
The regulator vets every owner holding 10% or more. We prepare a file for each of them plus the project description. Timing here depends on you: we send the list upfront and point you to where each document comes from.
A local entity is mandatory - without one the application will not be accepted. We handle incorporation in parallel with the document gathering, so it does not add to the overall timeline.
We file through the CGA portal and pay the application fee. The regulator assesses the probity and financial standing of the owners. We handle any queries ourselves and only come back to you if a new document is needed.
The regulator reviews the technical and operational side: internal policies, domains and geo-blocking configuration. Once approved, the company appears on the public CGA register and we hand over the full document set.
All we need from you are the owner documents. Everything else is on us.
The same person runs your project start to finish, so you are never re-explaining it
Usually within 30 minutes during working hours
We handle the correspondence and queries ourselves rather than forwarding them on
We remind you about annual fees and reporting deadlines with the regulator
Timelines reflect our own casework. We prepare and file the application, but granting or refusing the licence is the regulator's decision.
Since the reform, Curaçao is no longer the cheap or quick option. The licence buys you recognition and direct regulatory standing, but it takes budget and patience. Below are the honest constraints, and the jurisdictions that work around them.
Official regulator fees alone come to €47,450 a year plus €4,592 to apply. Add incorporation and compliance and year one runs past €52,000. That is a lot to spend testing an idea.
The USA, UK, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Australia are all closed off by the regulator. If that is where your traffic comes from, Curaçao does not solve the problem - you need a local licence.
Review takes three to six months and runs in two phases. If the product is ready and you need to be live within weeks, that timeline will not work.
From 1 April 2027 you need a key person on the island, rising to three by year five. On top of that: disclosure of every owner holding 10% or more, and ongoing supervision.
The fastest and cheapest route into licensed status. No GGR tax, no capital requirement, no local office or resident director. Operators take it early on, to test the model against real traffic.
A North American jurisdiction rather than a Caribbean one. Providers read it differently to a standard offshore licence, at much the same timeline. Popular with crypto projects. One licence covers every vertical.
A young regulator with a solid reputation and good access to banks and providers. Chosen when you want something above standard offshore status, without the Curaçao budget or timeline. Works for both B2C and B2B.
An EU licence and the highest level of trust available: direct acquiring, tier-one banks, access to European markets. It opens the markets Curaçao closes off. Expect capital requirements and a long review.
Every project is different - we shape the solution around the specific brief, the verticals and the target markets.
Real cases from our practice. Client names and results are published with their consent.
Curaçao The client was launching BET and casino and had originally planned two separate licences in different jurisdictions. We showed that a single CGA licence covers both verticals, which changes the whole economics of it: one regulator, one compliance function, one set of reporting instead of two.
Solution: We went to Curaçao with a single application. Most of the time went not on the regulator but on the ownership structure - the client had four partners, two of them holding just over 10%, and all of them had to be disclosed. That took longer than we expected. Phase two, on the other hand, threw up almost no questions.
I was braced for questions about the product, and instead they mostly asked about us. One of my partners could not see why a man with a 12% stake needed to hand over that many documents. We talked it through, he came round. Looking back, that is a fair price for being on an open register.
Curaçao The client had a Costa Rican company and a live product, but two payment providers in a row turned them down at the compliance stage. Costa Rica has no gaming licence as such - there is a company registration, and providers can see that. What they needed was a status that actually reads as a licence.
Solution: We incorporated on Curaçao and filed with the CGA. We did not wind up the Costa Rican structure - it kept running while the application was under review. We told the providers upfront that the application was in, and two of the three agreed to revisit it once the licence came through. Which is what happened.
We spent about eighteen months in Costa Rica thinking we held a licence. Turned out we did not, and we heard it from an acquirer rather than from our lawyers. That stung. At least here there is a regulator, there is a register, and anyone can check you.
Curaçao The project was operating on an old-style sub-licence and, after the reform, was effectively left without a valid authorisation. Their affiliate network asked for proof of status and there was nothing to send. The task was less about getting a licence and more about getting one before the existing contracts fell away.
Solution: We filed directly with the CGA. In parallel we prepared the internal policies and geo-blocking configuration so that phase two would not drag. Target markets were a separate conversation: part of their traffic came from closed countries, and that had to be reworked before filing rather than after.
The worst part was explaining to partners why our licence had stopped existing through no fault of ours. We spent six months in limbo. Now there is a registry number I can just send as a link, and the conversation is over.
If your question is not covered here, leave a request and we will look at your situation directly.
Get a consultationThree to six months. The application runs in two phases: the regulator first assesses the probity and financial standing of the owners, then reviews the technical and operational side. Three months is achievable for projects with a simple ownership structure and a prepared file. It takes longer where there are many owners, or where the regulator asks for further detail on source of funds.
Curaçao remains the most widely recognised licence in the sector and is accepted by hundreds of payment providers and acquiring banks. The reform has helped here: the CGA register is public, so a provider can verify your status directly rather than going through an intermediary. That said, every provider keeps its own list of restricted countries and verticals, and those are often stricter than the regulator's.
The LOK framework came into force on 24 December 2024 and abolished the master and sub-licence system. Previously an operator bought a sub-licence from one of four master licence holders; now the licence is issued directly by the Curaçao Gaming Authority and the operator appears on a public register. All legacy sub-licences expired in January 2025. In return, the requirements went up: beneficial owner disclosure, supervision, reporting and considerably higher fees.
Yes. The application is filed by a local entity incorporated on Curaçao, and the CGA will not accept documents without one. We handle incorporation in parallel with gathering the owner files, so it has very little effect on the overall timeline. An existing company from another jurisdiction cannot be used for the application itself, although it can remain in the structure as a holding entity.
The core list is the USA, the Netherlands, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Australia, Curaçao itself and the Dutch Caribbean. On top of that come all countries on the FATF blacklist, which is reviewed quarterly. The full restriction list runs to roughly two dozen countries. Blocking is mandatory at IP level, VPN circumvention is monitored by the regulator, and penalties run to fines and licence suspension.
Every beneficial owner holding 10% or more. The CGA runs its own checks: identity verification, source of funds, criminal record and any links to sanctions lists. This is not a formality - it is the substance of phase one, and it is where timelines most often slip. Preparing these files in advance makes a real difference.
Yes. A single B2C licence covers casino, betting, poker, lottery, live dealer tables and esports, with no need for a separate application per product. The hybrid B2C2B model is no longer recognised, however: if a project both serves players and supplies solutions to other operators, two separate licences are required.
An annual fee of €47,450 for B2C, made up of the government licence fee and the regulator's supervisory fee. Alongside that: reporting to the CGA, registration of every active domain, displaying the regulator's digital seal on your site, AML and KYC procedures, and an alternative dispute resolution mechanism for players. From 1 April 2027 you also need a key person based on the island, rising to three by year five.
Yes, there is a separate B2B licence. The application fee is the same at €4,592, with an annual supervisory fee of €24,490. For some service companies supplying non-critical goods or services there is a B2B certificate instead: it is valid for three years and carries no annual payments. Which route applies depends on the nature of the service.
No. We prepare and file the application, manage correspondence with the regulator and respond to its queries, but the decision rests with the CGA. At the outset we go through the project and the ownership structure and tell you plainly if we see a risk of refusal - better to know before you pay than after.
Get a consultation
Send a request. We'll get back to you within 30 minutes and find a solution for your task
By clicking "Send request", you agree to the processing of your personal data in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
