Curaçao is a Lesser Antilles island, located in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region – and this tropical island paradise is home to hundreds of online gambling operations, thanks to the ease at which gambling licenses can be acquired, and the relatively low costs involved with doing so.
The licensing structure in Curaçao is actually a little confusing – and the Minister of Justice has only issued a total of four gambling licenses. These are known as ‘Master Licenses’. However, Master License holders are able to offer sub-licenses, and this means each Master License holder kind of acts as its own regulator.
While it’s a nice idea in principle, unfortunately, Curaçao has a poor reputation when it comes to online gambling, and a Curaçao gambling license means very little. In this post, we’re going to take a look at the four Master License holders.
About Curaçao’s Master Gambling Licenses
As mentioned above, the government of Curaçao has issued four main Master Licenses. These licensees can then offer operators sub-licenses. Let’s take a look at the four Master License holders:
Antillephone NV 8048/JAZ: Not much is known about the operation behind the Antillephone NV 8048/JAZ Master License, although it should be noted that they are generally seen as the most reputable Master License holder, and they do – in some instances – take player complaints seriously.
— Find out more about Antillephone NV 8048/JAZ here.
Curaçao e-Gaming Licensing Authority: The Curaçao e-Gaming Licensing Authority is one of the oldest Master License holders, and they were first granted a license back in 1996. Unfortunately, they hold little credibility in the world of online gambling, with their sub-licenses often seen to be running fake games, accepting players from restricted jurisdictions, and generally not taking action against rogue operators.
— Find out more about the Curacao e-Gaming Licensing Authority here.
Curaçao Interactive Licensing N.V. (CIL) #5536/JAZ: Curaçao Interactive Licensing N.V. (CIL) #5536/JAZ is, again relatively mysterious in the world of online gambling, and not much is known about their operation. Rather worrying, they don’t appear to have a website or any way of contacting them – and this is a major red flag for players, as it’s unlikely they will respond to player complaints.
— Find out more about Curacao Interactive Licensing N.V. (CIL) #5536/JAZ here.
Gaming Curaçao: Gaming Curaçao have been around since 1998, and while they tout themselves as ‘having a solid reputation’, again, they are relatively secretive, and little is know about them. Because of this, it’s generally advised that you don’t play at casinos licensed by Gaming Curacao, as – if things go wrong – you likely have few mediation options.
— Find out more about Gaming Curacao here.