WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) is continuing its transition to a new regulatory platform following unauthorized access to its former online gaming portal, raising questions about how gambling operators, consumers, and international business partners can reliably verify licensing information during the transition.
The authority announced on October 7, 2026, that its previous online gaming portal would not return to service. On October 19, it launched a new interim online gaming portal while work continues on a replacement regulatory platform.
Curaçao Gaming Authority and the Minister of Justice Shalten Hato (middle)
The developments come as Curaçao implements its reformed gambling regulatory system under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), which came into effect on December 24, 2024.
The legislation established a new framework for the licensing and supervision of online gambling activities, placing greater responsibility on the CGA to oversee an industry with an international customer base.
Although the authority has stated that the retirement of its former portal does not affect the validity of existing licences or the legal obligations of licensed operators, the transition has brought renewed attention to the accessibility and reliability of public licensing information.
Previous Licensing Portal Will Not Be Restored
The CGA's decision to discontinue its former portal followed incidents involving unauthorized access to its online gaming system.
Rather than restore the previous platform, the regulator announced that it would develop a new regulatory environment while maintaining licensing, compliance, and supervisory activities through interim arrangements.
The new website is being introduced gradually, with additional services and regulatory functions expected to become available as development progresses.
The authority has emphasized that its responsibilities under Curaçao's gambling legislation remain unchanged.
Licensed operators must therefore continue to comply with applicable laws and regulations, regardless of the technological transition.
The CGA also remains responsible for supervising the gambling industry in relation to anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism.
However, the replacement of a major licensing platform raises practical questions about the systems available for checking the status of operators and their associated gambling websites.
Public Register Does Not Guarantee Current Licence Validity
One particularly important issue concerns the disclaimer published on the CGA's official licence register.
The regulator provides public overviews of entities licensed to conduct gambling activities in Curaçao.
However, the authority explicitly warns that these overviews do not guarantee the current validity of the licences listed.
It explains that licensing status may change over time and that no legal rights can be derived from the published overviews.
This distinction is significant because the appearance of a company in a public licensing database does not necessarily establish that it remains authorized to conduct every activity associated with its previous licence.
For international consumers and businesses, this creates a need for additional verification when the precise current status of a gambling operator is important.
The issue becomes particularly relevant when an operator's licence has expired, been suspended, been revoked, or undergone changes that may not yet be reflected in the public information.
The CGA's disclaimer is not evidence that its register contains incorrect entries. Rather, it establishes that the authority itself does not consider the published overviews a definitive guarantee of current licensing status.
International Audit Demonstrates Importance of Accurate Records
The importance of reliable licensing information was recently highlighted by an audit of the Anjouan Gaming Authority's public register.
Researchers from NewCasino.ai reported that, on October 17, 2026, all 1,295 licences in the Anjouan register were marked valid, including 124 whose published expiry dates had already passed.
The affected records collectively covered 332 internet domains.
Although the audit did not establish that the operators were conducting illegal gambling activities, it raised questions about the usefulness of public status indicators when they do not clearly reflect the dates associated with individual licences.
The findings provide a relevant international comparison for Curaçao, where the regulatory system is undergoing significant changes.
There is no evidence from that audit that Curaçao's register contains the same discrepancies.
Nevertheless, both situations highlight the importance of ensuring that licensing information is understandable, accessible, and sufficiently current for meaningful verification.
Questions About Verification During the Transition
Curaçao's regulatory transition raises several questions that deserve clarification.
One concerns how consumers and international business partners can confirm whether a specific online casino domain is covered by a valid Curaçao licence.
Another is how quickly changes involving suspensions, revocations, expirations, or renewals become visible in the public register.
The availability of historical licensing information is also important, particularly when questions arise about whether an operator was authorized at a particular point in time.
These issues are relevant to gambling operators, payment processors, compliance professionals, and players who rely on regulatory information.
The CGA's public notices confirm that licensing and supervision continue during the portal transition. However, the notices examined do not fully establish how every category of licence-status verification is handled under the interim arrangements.
Further clarification from the authority would help explain how these processes operate and what information the public can rely upon.
Transparency Remains Important Under New Gambling Law
The implementation of the LOK represents a major change in Curaçao's approach to gambling regulation.
The framework is intended to strengthen supervision and establish clearer responsibilities for licensed operators.
An effective regulatory system depends not only on the legal requirements imposed on gambling businesses but also on the ability of the regulator to communicate licensing decisions accurately.
Public access to reliable information can help distinguish properly authorized operators from businesses making unsupported licensing claims.
It can also support international confidence in Curaçao's gambling regulatory framework.
As the CGA develops its replacement platform, the handling of licence verification, public records, and enforcement information will remain important indicators of how the new system functions in practice.
For now, the authority has confirmed that its regulatory responsibilities continue and that existing licences are not invalidated merely because the previous portal has been discontinued.
The broader question is how the new platform will make the current status of those licences easier to establish and independently verify.