Curaçao eGaming Casinos

Curaçao (pronounced Cura-sow and not Cura-cow as many people think – the ‘ç’ is pronounced ‘s’, not ‘c’) eGaming refers to the online gambling licence provider that is based in the country of Curaçao. Recently, this licence provider has been provided with a rival – Gaming Curacao (without the ‘ç’). Although not regarded as a top-tier licence provider such as those found in the UK, Alderney or Gibraltar, there as still plenty of new casinos that have applied for and successfully gained a Curaçao eGaming or Gaming Curacao licence.

Typically, the best online casinos that are established in countries where online gambling is not permitted but offer their services to casino players outside of their jurisdiction apply for Curaçao eGaming licences. Also, casinos what wish to offers their services to people in countries where online gambling is permitted but running online gambling services is not (such as New Zealand and Australian online casinos) apply for Curacao eGaming.

In the past, alongside Antigua, Curaçao eGaming were often accused of handing out a licence to just about anyone who applied for one, without the necessary due diligence that would apply to such a situation. Over the past few years or so though Curaçao eGaming have really smartened up their act and their reputation as the provider of online gambling licences has soared.

Via this piece, you will be educated all about Curaçao eGaming and how it deals with the countless licence providers that it has provided a licence to, both in the past and more recent licence holders.

Why Curaçao?

Most people may never have heard of Curaçao, thinking it some made-up place such as Narnia or Middle Earth. Curaçao is, however, a very real place.

Even people who have heard of Curaçao would find it hard to point out the tiny territory on a map. Curaçao is in fact ‘kind if’ in the Caribbean – ‘kind’ of as it’s barely anywhere near any of the major Caribbean countries or territories such as Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic or Haiti. Curaçao can be found close to the South American country of Venezuela. In fact, Curaçao is only 65 kilometres north of one of the biggest countries in that continent.

Curaçao is not Venezuelan though and never has been. In fact, it is not – strictly – even a country in its own right as just like its neighbours Aruba and Bonaire it belongs to the Netherlands. Notably, several footballers such as Clarence Seedorf and Edgar Davids have been born in overseas Dutch territories such as Surinam and Indonesia and have played for the Dutch national team. Confusingly, Curaçao is recognised as a country (although not an independent one) by FIFA, just as England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are recognised as countries despite all being one country (the United Kingdom) as a whole.

The Dutch gained control of Curaçao in 1634 and adopted it as a major centre for commerce with nearby South America. Sadly, it also became a major centre for slave trading. In 1954 the dependency along with Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Maarten and some smaller islands became known, officially, as the Netherland Antilles. Aruba left the Antilles in 1986 and they were dissolved completely in 2010. Curaçao because its own territory but remained part of the Netherlands.

Curaçao & Tax

Curaçao has been a well-known financial centre since the 1910s. A number of major merchants established private banks within the territory. The Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten is the oldest central bank in the Western Hemisphere. The island has its own legal framework making it an attractive location for corporate headquarters. Curaçao is also something of a tax haven as it offers foreign investors favourable taxation rates. Because of its unique situation – financially, politically and geographically – Curaçao has a booming economy. Its legal framework is notoriously strict though, and irregular financial practices when discovered are quickly stamped upon.

Curaçao & Gambling

Curaçao is not some kind of backwards, back-water unpopulated island as many people think (the population of the island is around 160,000 making it more populated than Grenada, Tonga or Bermuda). It is an established centre for technology and financial services.

Like its neighbours Antigua and Barbuda, the country was quick to seize upon the prospect of online gambling following the rise of online services in the late 1990s. Several fledgeling gambling companies were keen to seek a favourable spot for their headquarters, especially those who wished to provide online poker to people in the USA or online casinos in the USA. For such companies, Curaçao was the exact place that they required.

Curacao eGaming

Curaçao eGaming began offering online gambling licences from 1996, making them one of the oldest licenced providers in the online gambling industry. Immediately though, the organisation – which was once known as ‘Cyberluck’ – gained a poor reputation for giving an online gambling licence to just about anyone who applied. This led to some very shady operators offering licensed gambling operators.

Eventually, Cyberluck resolved to clean up its act and rebranding itself as Curaçao eGaming. Any casino with a current Curaçao eGaming can now safely be trusted.

How to Apply for a Curaçao eGaming licence

Online casinos can visit the Curaçao eGaming site to kick off the application process. They will see a number of compliance checkpoints that they need to fulfil if the application is going to be successful. The process can take up to a month.

Curaçao eGaming for the players

If you have problems at a casino site with a Curaçao eGaming licence then head to their website for contact information, and they should do something to help.

Submitting a Complaint

When it comes to reputation, players might find that Curacao itself offers a mix of ethical and unethical licensing groups. Although, Curaçao eGaming does have a better reputation than many of its competitors. With that being said, there are a variety of organizations that will be more inclined to support players submitting complaints due to the behaviours of less than reputable casinos.

At this point in time, the UK Gambling Commission has not been able to add Curaçao eGaming to its list of White List regulators. Which could be seen as a sign of mistrust for this organization. Although it has some way to go, Curaçao eGaming has constantly been improving the service it provides to its clients. This has ensured that casinos continue to rely on the organization for licenses.

In Conclusion

Go back a decade and we would tell you to avoid any casino with a Cyberluck licence. In 2020 though there is no need to be concerned if your casino of choice has only a Curaçao eGaming licence thanks to the regulator’s clean up act. It’s not a ‘badge of honour’ though such as a Gibraltar or Alderney gambling licence, so you still need to tread carefully.

Choose from our list below of Curaçao eGaming Casinos to play with!