Curacao License Improves

Member of a Curacao licensed casino? Great news ahead – the eGaming licensing authority is adding player & responsible gambling support! (Photo by Johnhain on Pixabay)

The Curacao eGaming license has always been in the shadows of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and UK Gambling Commissions’ licenses. These 2 frameworks are the out-and-out leaders for casino licensing in the iGaming industry, whereas the Curacao authority has got a reputation for issuing its licenses without as many restrictions or hoops to jump through.

This has occasionally allowed shady operators to sneak into the market and cause issues for players at live casinos. However, things are about to take a turn for the better as we see that the Curacao eGaming website has vastly improved its services, which is evident on its new website. The website now offers players more support with links to useful information – something that has long been absent from its main website. Most notably, there is a place to make complaints about rogue casinos as well as seek advice.

This is in fact a complete u-turn for the casino licensing services. The new services are designed to tackle one of the main issues some players have with the Curacao service, which is a select few live casinos claiming to hold a Curacao eGaming license would abuse loopholes. For example, casino complaints and player support were rarely dealt with by the licensing service. Thankfully, those days will soon be gone, as the Curacao eGaming website will be adding an authentication tool where a user can verify if a live casino does actually hold a license issued by it.

New Curacao Services Similar to MGA: Many of the new services offered replicate the MGA licenses services. In the past, Curacao licensing dealt mainly with casino operator due diligence and game integrity. Now the license is adding player support services which is something the MGA has long taken seriously. With player support in place, casinos that receive an unusual amount of complaints directed towards to the licensing service’s dispute system will be given a warning and could eventually lose their license if player complaints continue.

Supporting Complaints & Levels of Responsible Gaming

One of the areas where the Curacao eGaming website has improved is with complaints support. Players who have issues with a Curacao licensed live casino can now file a complaint against it through the authority’s website. The authority will offer those players guidance, support, and will direct them to mediation services.

In the past, Curacao eGaming has always presented an image that it demands ‘responsible gambling’, although it was always rather difficult to tell just to what level, as it was never really that clear. That has now changed, as it is now clear through the ‘Responsible Gambling’ page on its website, as to the levels of responsible gambling an operator must go to if it wants to hold a Curacao gaming license. For instance, an operator must now have a page on its site that is purely dedicated to promoting responsible gambling, which will include guidance on how a player can self-exclude themselves should they feel like they are having problems. This means that many of the live casinos reviewed by our team now have additional responsible gambling options and a channel to complain about rogue casinos.

Problem Gaming Account Suspensions: A new rule implement is that Curacao licensed casinos must suspend the account of a player who is showing signs of problem gambling, such as irregular betting patterns, which would suggest a player is betting more than they can afford to try to make up for past losses.

What was the Prompt for Such Change? 

It was never the intention of The Government of Curacao to attract sub-standard live casinos, but due to its less than stringent approach, dodgy live casinos have had it too easy for too long. The authority has stated for a long time that it wishes to have a good shake-up which would go a long way to restoring its reputation. The authority has an ace in its deck that some authorities don’t, and that is that it can offer an operator access to more games, but, players have always been wary of Curacao licensed live casinos. Better late than never, as some would say, the time for change is now.

In a ‘pushed’ rather than ‘jumped’ move, the Curacao authority will give its license a revamp because the Netherlands was not happy that it was accepting players from its country. In exchange for a €125 million stimulus package to support Covid relief, the Curacao authority will clean up its license.

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