Curaçao unveils revised licensing fees under upcoming new gaming law

Curaçao's Minister of Finance Javier Silvania has announced the gambling licensing fees applicable under both the current law and the forthcoming National Ordinance for Games of Chance (LOK).

Under the existing legislation, licenses do not differentiate between B2B and B2C categories, constituting a single license type. The application fee for this type is zero, with an annual fee of ANG36,000 (approximately $20,090 at current exchange rates) and a monthly fee of ANG7,000 ($3,890), encompassing up to 40 domains.

As per media reports, the proposed LOK for B2C licenses recommend an application fee of ANG9,000 ($5,000), accompanied by one-off due diligence fees ranging from ANG250 ($139) to ANG500 ($278) per person based on their role. The annual fee is ANG48,000 ($26,659), with a monthly fee of ANG4,000 ($2,221). Additionally, a total of ANG500 per annum must be paid per domain, and there is no limit on the number of domains under B2C licenses.

Operators transitioning from a direct license under the current law to the LOK are exempt from the ANG48,000 fee upon enactment, with payment deferred to the first anniversary of their license. At that point, the monthly fee reduces from ANG7,000 to ANG4,000.

Under the LOK, all entities are required to possess a B2C license, encompassing companies directly interacting with players and those facilitating B2C operations through player funds and data.

For new B2B licenses under the LOK, fees mirror those for B2C. The application fee is ANG9,000, with due diligence fees between ANG250 and ANG500 per person, an annual fee of ANG48,000, and no monthly fee. Domains are not applicable in B2B licenses.

Curaçao initiated its new licensing process on September 1, with the Gaming Control Board opening the license application portal. Account registrations were permitted from November 1. The portal serves to process new applications under the existing legislation, NOOGH, alongside the GCB, and to register all sublicensees intending to operate during the LOK implementation.