LOK Licensed Casinos in Curacao Required to Show Digital Seal

As part of the important changes meant to increase transparency and improve credibility in the online gambling industry, all licensed online casinos that have successfully completed the licensing procedure under the National Ordinance on Game of Chance (LOK) in Curacao have to showcase a digital seal on their platforms. 

Special Conditions Must Be Met 

The digital seal was introduced by the Gaming Control Board (GCB) as a way of countering potential misinterpretation and misuse, in the context of the continuous efforts to change Curacao’s gambling regulatory framework. 

The fresh legislation is overseen by the LOK and it is still pending approval from parliament members. 

Its main goal is to take apart the current structure that involves master license and sublicense holders while improving the gambling jurisdiction’s reputation and degree of trust.

The new digital seal measure, which has come into effect starting January 1, 2024, applies to all online casinos as a means of proving their status as licensed gambling sites to visitors. 

Nonetheless, some sublicense holders are not eligible to use the seals. According to a press release from the Ministry of Finance, only gambling providers who have effectively completed the registration process in the GCB’s portal have the authority to display the seal on their sites. 

Also, providers must comply with a series of requirements to be allowed to use the digital seals. Online casinos need to make sure the seal is prominently displayed on the landing page that visitors will visit when accessing their websites. 

Plus, the seals need to be perfectly legible. Any kind of attempt to change or obscure the seal is strictly forbidden. 

A gambling operator who holds a sublicense but who has not yet effectively completed the entire registration process in the portal is expressly forbidden to show the seal. 

According to recommendations from the Ministry of Finance, these operators should refrain from creating the impression that they have met the specified criteria. 

Missing Details on Sanctions for Non-Compliant Providers

Several other worldwide regulatory bodies have taken similar measures to boost transparency. The list includes the Dutch Gambling Authority in the Netherlands. 

Such initiatives are usually accompanied by registers of licensed operators that are available to the public and which can bring consumers more peace of mind through additional verification. 

For the time being, the Ministry of Finance has not provided any details on the potential sanctions for providers who do not comply with these conditions. 

The digital seals prominently use the URL cert.gcb.cw. The respective website is not yet active, and it is still uncertain if the platform will provide an accessible register for the public.