The Curacao Gambling Association (CGA) will strengthen player protection, social responsibility measures and compliance as it reforms.
The introduction of the new Landsverordening op de Kansspelen (LOK) law aims to implement a number of minimum requirements for operators in terms of player verification and safety.
While the minimum requirements are essential for operators in the market, the CGA has stressed the desire for operators to exceed these protocols. Companies must now check age, player self-assessment, deposit limits and provide additional training for marketing partners and affiliates.
And while there is no definition of the levels of training required for each member of staff, the framework details that staff must be able to handle player interactions professionally and effectively.
In addition, it highlights the importance of staff being able to recognise the signs of problem gambling and having informed conversations with at-risk players.
The new framework introduces significant self-exclusion protocols, requiring operators to display clear instructions on how to do so.
Operators must offer players clear instructions on how to play the game more safely, including ensuring they are aware of deposit limits.
Age verification is also being tightened, with operators required to take all reasonable steps to verify a player’s age and not allow minors onto gambling sites.
The CGA has called for industry feedback on the new policy and has opened a consultation period.
The new framework coincides with the decision to remove Curacao from the EU’s grey list of tax duties. The island nation’s government has placed particular emphasis on the exclusion, which examines countries for tax transparency, harmful tax practices and anti-tax evasion measures.
The period of transformation has been significant for Curacao, with a major regulatory change also taking place at the end of last year, which has made licensing rules more important.
The Dutch Supreme Court has ruled that master licensees in Curacao can be held liable for the shortcomings of their sub-licensees.
The ruling follows the decision of the Joint Court of Appeal of Aruba, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba against Cyberluck in 2022. The master licensee was ordered to pay outstanding winnings to two players to whom the sub-licensee had failed to do so.
The move was seen as a turning point, as it forced master licensees to tighten their controls over the actions of sub-licensees.
In a previous interview with the iGamingDaily, as the period of license applications was being undertaken – Aideen Shortt, advisor to the Curaçao Gaming Control Board, emphasised that there was elevated levels of excitement around the market.
She stated: “All of the sub-licensees had the opportunity, and had this six-month timeline in which they could make an application on the portal. And in doing so, they locked in the ability to get grandfathered through when the lock gets enacted.
“That closed on 30 April and with that, we had high expectations but we actually were completely surprised. We have 741 licence applications. So we were expecting a few hundred, we had hoped for a higher number and we got 741 – which is just absolutely fantastic.”
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