Curaçao Gaming Authority’s board resigned amid reforms. Operators flee to Anjouan & Tobique, but new rules signal safer, MGA-like regulation.
The Curaçao Gaming Authority recently confirmed that its entire supervisory board resigned in mid-September. The exact reasons for the board members’ resignations were not publicly disclosed.
A bit of shock, and not a good look for an authority that has been making strides to improve its reliability in order to offer players more trustworthy online gambling.
Responsibility for the regulator has now transferred to the Minister of Justice, marking another chapter in the island’s ongoing transformation of its online gaming regulatory framework.
It also helps if I explain why hundreds of operators have already migrated to alternative jurisdictions.
Curacao’s Regulatory Overhaul
The country adopted the Landsverordening op de Kansspelen (LOK) in December 2024, which replaced the previous Gaming Control Board with the Curaçao Gaming Authority. We first reported on this news back in August last year (2024) via our Curacao’s Pivotal Transition in iGaming Regulation gambling news story.
Under the new rules, the master and sub-license system ended, requiring all operators to apply directly to the Curaçao Gaming Authority, pass enhanced compliance checks, and submit to regular audits.
The reforms aimed to modernize the jurisdiction’s reputation and address international concerns about player protection and anti-money laundering controls. However, the changes came with substantially higher costs and stricter requirements that caught many operators off guard.
Curacao’s Current Legislation: Just so you can check the facts from Curacao Gaming Authority itself, you can read the Curacao GCA current legislation regarding online gambling here.
Higher Costs & Tighter Rules Have Led to Operators Leaving Curacao
The regulatory transformation has prompted a mass departure of gaming companies from Curaçao. More than 150 operators have switched to alternative jurisdictions, with approximately 2,000 online gambling businesses that previously operated under Curaçao licenses now investigating alternative licensing frameworks. The primary destination for these departing operators has been Anjouan, part of the Union of the Comoros. Anjouan has reportedly granted over 100 licenses in recent months, with many more in the pipeline. When BC.Game, one of the first casinos to obtain a new Curaçao license, encountered unexpected hurdles; BC.Game withdrew its application and switched to Anjouan.
Another emerging alternative is the Tobique Gaming License, issued by the Tobique First Nation in Canada. The Tobique license is positioned as a robust alternative to Curaçao and Anjouan, allowing operators to get licensed in four weeks and supporting global operations
Why Operators Are Leaving
The migration stems from several factors. Annual costs for a Curaçao license can reach approximately 120,000 EUR when maintenance fees, management services, and additional staff compliance costs are included, and approval times often take 6 months. By comparison, Anjouan offers a lower total cost of ownership due to modest license fees, no gross gaming revenue taxes, and minimal overhead. Operators now face stricter know-your-customer and anti-money laundering criteria for obtaining a Curaçao license, including mandatory background checks on key personnel and requirements to hire experienced compliance officers.
For startups and smaller operators, these requirements represent barriers to entry that didn’t exist under the previous system.
We Are Not Sure We Can Trust Anjouan or Tobique
The current situation reveals a clear regulatory spectrum in the online gaming industry. At one end sit jurisdictions like Anjouan and Tobique, which offer streamlined processes, lower costs, and fewer compliance requirements. Yet, we know very little about these licensing authorities, and only time will tell if their frameworks allow online casinos to abuse players, something the new Curacao laws are putting to a stop.
Licensing authority alternatives we do trust: The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), known for stringent standards and comprehensive player protections. The caveat is if you are a cryptocurrency player, you will be hard pushed to find an online casino that offers crypto deposits or withdrawals.
Casinoplusbonus Opinion – We like what we are seeing from Curacao’s new licensing system
Curaçao is now repositioning itself as a trusted provider with comprehensive regulations, appealing to larger, established operators seeking enhanced credibility, though at higher costs and a slightly longer licensing timeline. We also like what we’re seeing from the Curacao Gaming Authority, especially with the upcoming introduction of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) partners. designed to protect players and give them a voice, which is something that didn’t exist with most Curacao casinos in the past.
Overall, we can see the new system resembles those of MGA Malta and the Isle of Man License, representing a significant shift from the jurisdiction’s historically permissive approach, and the future of safer more reliabel crypto online gambling.
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