Last updated: 20 May 2026 · Independently reviewed
The Curaçao Gaming Control Board licence — the most common licence among non GamStop casinos — was substantially reformed in 2024. Here's what changed, what it means for you as a UK player, and how to actually verify a Curaçao-licensed operator before depositing.
By Karl George✓ Verified expert
For two decades, the Curaçao gambling licence had a reputation problem. It was cheap, fast to obtain, and almost impossible to lose — and offshore operators of every quality grade used it as a flag of convenience. In 2024, the Curaçao government replaced the old master-licence system with direct licensing under the new Curaçao Gaming Control Board (CGCB). The reform tightened operator requirements, added a public registry, and introduced a formal player complaints process. Whether it's enough to make Curaçao casinos trustworthy is a fair question; what's clear is that things have changed.
Before September 2024, Curaçao operated a four-tier master-licence system. A small number of master licensees held the gaming licence directly; everyone else operated under a sub-licence granted by one of those four masters. There was no central regulator with enforcement power, no public registry of licensed operators, and almost no recourse for players whose complaints went unanswered. Master licensees made money from sub-licence fees regardless of how their sub-licensees behaved, which created weak incentives to enforce standards.
The result: Curaçao licences were issued to thousands of casino brands of varying quality, with no easy way for players to verify any specific licence was current or that a complaint would be investigated.
The Landsverordening op de Kansspelen (Gambling Ordinance) introduced direct licensing under the CGCB. Operators now apply directly to the CGCB; the master/sub-licence model is being phased out. Existing sub-licensees have a transition period to apply for direct licences.
Public registry. The CGCB maintains a public registry of licensed operators. You can verify any operator's licence by checking the registry — if a casino claims a Curaçao licence but doesn't appear in the registry, that's an immediate red flag.
Player complaints process. The CGCB now accepts player complaints directly and can investigate operators. The enforcement record is still building, but the process exists where it didn't before.
Operator capital requirements. Higher minimum capital for new licensees, designed to filter out fly-by-night operators.
Responsible gambling tooling requirements. Licensees must offer deposit limits, loss limits, session reminders and self-exclusion. We don't list any operator that fails this minimum.
Curaçao licences still don't carry UKGC-level consumer protections. The CGCB has limited enforcement capacity compared to a tier-one regulator like the UK Gambling Commission or the Malta Gaming Authority. Complaint investigation is slower; outcomes are less predictable.
Curaçao still doesn't offer the equivalent of UKGC's required ringfenced player funds. Your deposit sits in the operator's general account; if the operator becomes insolvent, you're an unsecured creditor.
Bet365, William Hill and Sky Bet are not licensed in Curaçao. The licence is overwhelmingly used by smaller offshore operators, including all 15 on our main list that hold Curaçao rather than Anjouan licences.
Find the licence badge in the operator's footer. Reputable operators link the badge to the live regulator registry. Click it.
The link should go to a CGCB-hosted page (typically a gaming.cw or gamingcontrolcuracao.org domain). If it goes to a static image hosted on the operator's own server, or to a generic third-party badge service, treat that as a yellow flag.
The registry page should show the operator name, licence number, and licence status. Check that the licence is current (not lapsed) and that the brand name matches.
Cross-reference the corporate entity. The licence is held by a specific company (LLC, N.V., etc.). That company name should match the entity disclosed in the operator's T&Cs and footer.
Curaçao: The most common licence among non GamStop casinos. Reformed in 2024 with a public registry and complaints process. Mid-tier consumer protection — meaningfully better than no licence, meaningfully worse than UKGC/MGA.
Anjouan (Comoros): Newer, lighter-touch, crypto-friendly. Cheaper to obtain than Curaçao. Less mature complaints process. Used by crypto-first operators (Kaasino, Gxmble on our list).
Costa Rica: Technically a corporate registration rather than a gaming licence. The lowest trust signal of the three. We don't list any operator that holds only a Costa Rica registration.
Our methodology weighs licensing transparency at 20% of the operator score. A current, verifiable Curaçao or Anjouan licence with the operator's actual corporate name attached is a baseline requirement; we drop operators that fail this.
Of our 15 operators on the main list, 12 hold Curaçao Gaming Control Board licences. The remaining three (Kaasino, Gxmble) hold Anjouan licences. Every one has been verified against the live regulator registry as of our last refresh.
Curaçao-licensed picks on our list include Lucki Casino, Kingdom Casino, Tenobet, 1Red, MadCasino, MyStake, Donbet, Rolletto, Goldenbet, Freshbet, Jack.com, Winstler, and Slottio.
More than it used to be. The 2024 reforms introduced a public registry, a player complaints process and tighter operator standards. It's still meaningfully weaker than a UKGC or MGA licence — but a current Curaçao licence under the CGCB regime is now a meaningful trust signal where the old sub-licence system wasn't.
Click the licence badge in the operator's footer. It should link to a CGCB-hosted registry page (gaming.cw or gamingcontrolcuracao.org domain) showing the operator name, licence number and current status. If the link goes to a static image or a third-party badge service, that's a red flag.
Yes. Since 2024, the CGCB accepts player complaints directly and can investigate operators. The process is newer and slower than UKGC's IBAS, but it exists where it didn't before.
Significantly. Operating capital requirements, application fees, and ongoing compliance costs are all lower for a Curaçao licence than for a UKGC licence — which is why the offshore market favours Curaçao for cost reasons. The trade-off is regulatory rigour.
Some are. Curaçao has been historically crypto-friendly. However, Anjouan has become more popular with crypto-first operators in 2024–2026 because it's cheaper and has a lighter touch on KYC.
Costa Rica technically issues corporate registrations rather than gaming licences. It carries the lowest trust signal of any common offshore framework. We don't list any operator whose only credential is a Costa Rica registration.
Looking for the head-to-head comparison? Our main non GamStop gambling sites guide ranks the 15 operators we currently recommend, with full pros and cons for each.
This guide is part of the wider non GamStop coverage on this site. The 15 operators referenced throughout are live-tested by the editorial team; this guide focuses on the angle specific to its topic. Editorial methodology is documented on the pillar page.