A licence badge in a casino footer is a claim. A record held by the regulator is evidence. Curaçao’s reformed licensing system has made it much easier to tell the two apart, with domain-linked seals, a certificate server and published registers, and anybody weighing up Curaçao casinos not on GAMSTOP can now check what a site’s paperwork actually proves.
We did exactly that for this guide, working from the Curaçao certification policy and its published licence and enforcement registers. The result is a verification method you can reuse on any of the best Curaçao casinos not on GAMSTOP, so you can compare sites on licence status, payments, bonuses and games with confidence.
Spec sheet
- Regulator
- Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA)
- Governing law
- National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), in force since 24 December 2024
- Seal types
- Certificate of Operation (B2C, domain-specific) and License Certificate (B2B and B2C, not domain-specific)
- Verification host
- cert.cga.cw
- Licence register
- PDF published by the CGA; 663 numbered entries in the 16 September 2026 edition, with no domain column
- Enforcement register
- 32 entries in the 14 September 2026 edition: 31 revoked, 1 not extended
What does a Curaçao licence actually certify?
When a site states it is "licensed in Curaçao", three separate elements often get treated as one and the same: the licence itself, the website, and the company behind it. Each of these is registered separately, so a site might meet the standard on one point while falling short on another.
Since 24 December 2024, the LOK has taken the place of the former master and sublicence system, meaning licences are now granted directly by the CGA. A B2C licence is required for operators that deal with players, while B2B licences are held by suppliers of software and services. Provisional licences are also available from the CGA; these last for up to six months and may be extended by up to six months more, and a large number of existing operators passed through this provisional stage as part of the transition.
| Element | Question it answers | Where Curaçao records it | Where Britain records it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence | Is this business authorised, and what type of licence does it hold? | CGA licence register (PDF), and the License Certificate seal | Gambling Commission register of gambling businesses: account number and status |
| Domain | Is this particular website approved under that licence? | Certificate of Operation seal, resolving on cert.cga.cw | Domain names declared against the account on the Commission’s register |
| Company | Which legal entity am I contracting with? | Licensee name and company registration number in the CGA register | Account name, the legal name of the business, on the register |
The domain issue is the one that catches people out. A company can hold a genuine CGA licence while a site trading under its name hasn’t been approved, or is a copycat. Curaçao addresses this through a domain-specific seal. Britain addresses it by listing declared domains against each licence. Checking the company name alone won’t help with either register.
How does a genuine CGA seal work?
Two seals appear in the CGA’s certification policy, and they do deliberately different jobs. A Certificate of Operation seal is issued only to B2C operators and may only be displayed on player-facing websites or apps running on an approved, registered domain. By contrast, a License Certificate seal can go to both B2B and B2C licensees; it confirms a company is licensed but, in the CGA’s words, is not domain-specific and does not authorise the operation of player-facing websites.

That design is a sensible piece of engineering, and a large step up from the old system, where a static image in a footer was often the only evidence on offer. It also means the checking burden sits with the visitor. The seal only protects someone who clicks it and reads what comes back.
How can you spot a fake or copied seal?
Most problems fall into a handful of patterns, and every one of them is visible to a careful visitor without any special tools. The table maps what you might see to what it indicates, based on the CGA’s own policy wording and portal notices.
| What you see | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| A seal image that does nothing when clicked | No live certificate behind it; not a working CGA seal |
| A click that opens a page on any host other than cert.cga.cw | Not the CGA’s certificate platform, whatever the page looks like |
| A certificate showing a different domain from the site you came from | The CGA says this indicates a certificate belonging to another operator, and the site should be treated as unauthorised or fraudulent |
| An orange seal | The CGA has told previously sub-licensed operators the orange seal and online certificate are not valid and must be removed |
| A License Certificate seal on a casino lobby | Confirms a company licence only; it does not authorise the player-facing website |
| A seal in unfamiliar colours or layout | The policy says a seal differing in design, colour or format is not authorised |
| Status on the certificate other than active | Check the licence register and enforcement register before going further |
One more mismatch deserves a check. The operator named on the certificate should match the company named in the casino’s terms and conditions. If the terms name one entity and the certificate names another, you do not know who holds your money.
Badges shown outside the casino’s own site warrant the same caution. A Certificate of Operation is linked to a specific approved domain, so any badge shown on a review page, a promotional list or a social post can only ever refer to the site it was originally issued for. To check this, visit the casino directly, click the seal there, and read the certificate page to see which domain it actually covers.
Reading the CGA licence register
In addition to the seals, the CGA makes a number of registers available to download as PDFs, covering land-based casinos, online gaming licences, certificate holders under article 517 of the LOK, and enforcement. The copy of the online gaming register that we downloaded carried the date 16 September 2026 and contained 663 numbered entries across 28 pages, listed beneath a heading that referred to licences issued under the new online gaming policy, which took effect on 15 November 2023.

Each entry sets out a licence number, the licensee’s name, whether the licence is B2B or B2C, a company registration number, an issue date, an expiry date and a status. In that edition, licence numbers begin with either OGL or CGA, followed by a year and reference numbers. A number of the more recent entries list an expiry date set six months after the issue date, consistent with the provisional licence terms outlined on the CGA portal.
- No domains. The register does not list website addresses, so it cannot confirm that a particular casino site is approved. That is the seal’s job.
- Status is free text. A number of entries read “Revoked as of” a date “at the request of the operator”. A name appearing in the register is not the same as an active licence.
- Dates matter. Compare the expiry column with today’s date, especially for six-month terms.
- Official caveat. The CGA says no rights can be derived from these overviews, and that licensing status can change over time.
In practice, we would use the register as a cross-check rather than a starting point: take the licensee name and company registration number from the certificate page or the site’s terms, then confirm the register shows the same entity, the right licence type and a current status.
What the enforcement register shows
The CGA's enforcement register is more concise and direct. As of the 14 September 2026 edition, it recorded 32 licences: 31 revoked and 1 not extended by the CGA, with effective dates spanning 2024 to 2026. A note at the top of the register explains that it only reflects actions that affect a licence's status, such as revocation, suspension or non-extension, that it does not represent every enforcement action taken by the CGA, and that it may not always be complete or up to date.
A public warnings section also appears on the CGA’s website. At the time we looked, it contained seven notices published between 30 January and 17 July 2026, most of them relating to unlicensed online gaming and other unauthorised gambling provided without the authority’s approval. Players should not treat either list as a way of getting money back. Nor does the CGA handle individual disputes: according to its website, complaints about gaming providers are treated as intelligence on potential breaches of the rules rather than being settled case by case on behalf of a player.
Curaçao can now tell you whether a licence is real, whether a domain is covered and whether a licence has been revoked. It cannot tell you that a site is allowed to take bets from Britain, because that answer was never Curaçao’s to give.
How does the Gambling Commission lookup compare?
The UK system works on a different basis. Rather than relying on a seal that leads to a certificate, licence condition 8.1.1 obliges remote operators to show, on every screen where customers are able to gamble, a statement confirming that they hold a licence and are regulated by the Gambling Commission, along with a link, provided by the Commission, to their current licensed status. The exact wording is set by the Commission's technical requirements, and it must match the licensee name shown on the public register while also stating the account number.
That link deserves the same level of trust as a CGA seal. Follow it through, verify that the page sits on gamblingcommission.gov.uk and not an imitation site, and check that the name and account number line up with what the casino displays on screen. This kind of address-bar checking matters on both sides of the Atlantic, and if a statement lacks a working link to the Commission’s own site, that’s a reason to pause before going further.
| Feature | Curaçao Gaming Authority | Gambling Commission |
|---|---|---|
| On-site proof | Dynamic seal linking to cert.cga.cw | Mandatory licence statement and Commission-supplied link on every gambling screen |
| Search by website address | Via the domain-specific certificate only | Yes, the business register can be searched by domain name |
| Other search keys | None; the register is a PDF to read | Business name, trading name or account number |
| Status values | Free-text status column in the PDF | Active, Expired, Forfeited, Lapsed, Pending, Revoked, Surrendered or Suspended |
| Data formats | Web search, plus Excel, CSV and a Zip of all datasets | |
| Accuracy caveat | No rights can be derived from the overviews | Domain and trading names are supplied by the business and not guaranteed |
| Individual complaints | Not handled by the CGA | Operator’s process, then an approved ADR provider |
When we checked on 16 September 2026, the Commission’s register of gambling businesses held 2,639 records. Being able to search it by domain is the feature that matters most for a player: paste the address from your browser and see whether any active licence claims it. The Commission’s caveat is worth respecting, though. Because operators declare their own domains, the absence of a domain is a strong warning, while its presence is best confirmed by also matching the account number shown on the site.

Curaçao licences and UK players
Suppose every Curaçao check passes: the seal resolves on cert.cga.cw, the domain matches, the register shows a current B2C licence and the enforcement register is clean. The site is then a properly licensed Curaçao operator. It is still not permitted to serve British players.
British licensing has worked on a point-of-consumption basis since November 2014: the Gambling Commission licenses anyone selling remote gambling to people here, and a foreign licence counts for nothing towards that. No mutual recognition exists. And because GAMSTOP connection is a condition of every British online licence, a Curaçao-only site sits outside the national self-exclusion scheme by definition. Our guide to non Gamstop casinos explains how that scheme’s matching works and what reaches beyond it.
The CGA’s own licence conditions point the same way. Licensees are required to comply with the laws of the jurisdictions where they offer remote games, which is difficult to reconcile with taking bets from Britain without a British licence. Self-exclusion shows the gap most clearly. Under the CGA’s 2025 responsible gaming policy, licensees must offer self-exclusion, but it applies to the brands under that operator’s own licence. It does not follow a player to the next Curaçao site in a search result, which is precisely where GAMSTOP’s single national register earns its keep inside the British market.
For the wider business model behind these sites, including how the Gambling Commission disrupts their domains and payments, see our guide to offshore casinos.
What the licensed British route costs you
Readers are directed solely towards Gambling Commission licensees on this site. Explaining the reasoning also means acknowledging what this approach rules out, since Curaçao sites tend to market themselves heavily around precisely these aspects.
Plus
- A domain-searchable register and a fixed licence statement on every gambling screen
- GAMSTOP coverage across every British online licensee
- Approved ADR after the operator’s complaints process, normally up to eight weeks
- Customer funds protection level disclosed before you play
- Bonus wagering capped at 10x since 19 January 2026
Minus
- Identity checks before any deposit or play, including demo games
- Slot stakes limited to £5 a spin (25+) or £2 (18 to 24)
- Financial vulnerability checks once net deposits reach £150 in 30 days
- No credit cards, and crypto is rare
- Leaner promotions after remote gaming duty rose to 40% on 1 April 2026
Two of these turn out to be more limited than the marketing implies. The stake limits are specific to online slots rather than covering all casino games, while the financial vulnerability checks draw on public records and do not affect your credit score. The remaining points are real drawbacks, and it is better to consider them in advance than to find out about them only after signing up.
A verification routine, start to finish
Taken as a whole, the checks follow a logical sequence. The British check appears first for a reason: if it does not pass, the Curaçao steps merely indicate how thoroughly an unlicensed site has documented itself.
- Copy the domain from the address bar and search it on the Gambling Commission’s register of gambling businesses.
- Find the Commission licence statement and account number on the site, and confirm they match an Active entry that lists the domain.
- If there is no British licence, stop. The site cannot lawfully serve you, whatever else it holds.
- For your own understanding of a Curaçao claim, click the seal and confirm the page loads on exactly cert.cga.cw and names the domain you came from.
- Match the operator on the certificate with the company in the terms, then look for the same entity and a current status in the CGA licence register.
- Scan the CGA enforcement register and public warnings for the licensee’s name.
Verification questions
Is the orange Curaçao seal still valid?
No. The CGA has told operators that previously held sublicences that the orange seal and its online certificate are not valid and must be removed.
What should a genuine certificate page show?
The page should open on cert.cga.cw, showing the precise domain you arrived from along with the licensed operator and its present licence status. If the certificate shows a domain that doesn't match, this suggests a copied or fake seal.
Does the CGA licence register list casino websites?
The online gaming register does not display this. Instead, it lists the licence number, licensee, licence type, company registration number, issue and expiry dates, and status, while approval of the domain is indicated separately via the Certificate of Operation seal.
What does “revoked at the request of the operator” mean in the register?
The register records that the licence ended on that date at the licensee’s request. It does not give reasons. Either way, the licence is no longer active.
Can a Curaçao seal be genuine while the site is unlicensed for Britain?
A valid seal confirms that the domain holds a Curaçao licence. However, offering services to players in Great Britain requires a Gambling Commission licence, something a CGA certificate does not cover.
Can I search the Gambling Commission register by website address?
Yes. The register of gambling businesses can be searched by domain name, business name, trading name or account number. Domains are declared by the business, so also match the account number shown on the site.
Will the Curaçao Gaming Authority resolve my complaint?
Not as a dispute service. The authority reads complaints as possible evidence of rule breaches by a licensee, and does not step in to settle a player’s individual case.
PCZ verdict
Curaçao’s post-2024 verification tools are better than their reputation: a domain-linked seal on a single certificate host, a published licence register and an enforcement list make it possible to separate a real licensee from a copied badge in a few minutes. Run that check on any Curaçao casino not on GAMSTOP you are considering, then compare the shortlisted sites on bonuses, game choice, payment methods and withdrawal terms before you deposit.
18+ only. No licence check makes gambling a safe way to earn money, so set limits on spending and time before any session. Help is free and confidential round the clock on the National Gambling Helpline, 0808 8020 133, and a GAMSTOP registration blocks access to British-licensed online gambling for as long as you choose. PCZ covers only operators licensed by the UK Gambling Commission. Updated 7 October 2026.
