REGULATORY REFORM
Introduction Curaçao’s National Ordinance on Games of Chance (Landsverordening op de Kansspelen or “LOK”), which came into force on 24 December 2024 1 , represents the most significant transformation of the jurisdiction’s gaming framework since the emergence of its online gaming sector in the 1990s. The LOK abolished the NOOGH legislation, historically known for the master-sublicensing system, after a majority vote in parliament. This enactment established direct government licensing under the supervision of a new governing body, the Curaçao Gaming Authority (“CGA”), replacing the former Curaçao Gaming Control Board (“GCB”). The latter was formerly appointed as the regulatory body of the gaming sectors in Curaçao. The LOK, established a law that expanded regulatory oversight, strengthened anti- money laundering (“AML”) obligations and introduced new 1 Official English translation of the LOK: https://portal.cga.cw/uploads/publications/sV4kfJ6psZ9WM80fMSimTq95RBLTuG5TJ1nuBhyp.pdf requirements relating to governance, substance and player protection, directly on the operators. From a legal perspective, the reform is substantial. Yet legislation alone does not transform a regulatory jurisdiction. The more interesting question is how Curaçao's regulatory regime is advancing to combine its long-standing role as a licensing jurisdiction with an increasingly comprehensive supervisory framework that inspires confidence across the global gaming ecosystem. This article examines that evolution, which has occupied the regulatory end of that spectrum for over two decades, and considers what it means when set against comparable international licensing jurisdictions (e.g. Malta and Isle of Man). For many years, Curaçao occupied a distinctive position within the global gaming ecosystem. It was often rega rded Curaçao’s LOK reform: from licensing jurisdiction to regulatory jurisdiction CINDY DROMMOND CHARTS THE JOURNEY OF OUR SECOND INTERNATIONAL GAMING HUB TO MATCH INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY STANDARDS WHILE REMAINING OPEN AND ACCESSIBLE
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IMGL MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2026
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