Beginning September 1, operators will be able to access Curacao License applications via the new online portal offered by the Global Cooperation Board.
This portal is not only a resource for downloading and obtaining information about the licensing process, but it also provides downloads as well as guidance.
Applications will be accepted starting in November this year. The launch of this portal coincides with Curacao‘s preparations for the National Ordinance for Games of Chance, a law which will change the licensing procedure for casinos in Curacao.
This updated licensing procedure is not intended to replace Curacao’s existing law, the National Ordinance on Offshore Games of Hazard, but rather it complements it.
New casinos as well as existing sub-licensees can access the new portal to apply for a license. According to the arrangement, existing sub-licensees can continue operating without interruption.
After November, the casinos that have been granted a licence will receive a temporary license, provided they submit inspected policies and procedure within a half-year period of issuing.
According to the LOK, the status of casinos that were granted licenses is transferred to the new organization.
LOK has no reservations about making significant changes to the market, which was previously unregulated. Curacao Javier Silvania, Finance Minister of Curacao , expressed no concerns about the possibility that casinos would leave the commission if standards were tightened.
Curacao‘s current statute states that a sub-license can be obtained from any of the four master license holders. Sub-licensees have a three-month window to reapply directly to the GCB for an operator’s license after the LOK comes into effect.
