The Curaçao licence is the most common operating licence among crypto casinos. With the reform that took effect in 2024 the island moved to a direct licensing system: licences are issued by the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) and the old master-licence model, in which hundreds of casinos operated under the sub-licences of a few large permits and responsibility dissolved into nothing, has been closed.
What the reform changed. The CGA requires every operator to hold its own licence, a local presence and a complaints-handling procedure. The biggest practical difference for a player is that a complaint now has an official addressee — previously a dispute mostly ended with the casino's own support.
What the licence gives:
- a public register where the validity of a permit can be checked; - a mandatory dispute channel and response deadlines; - AML minimums and requirements on game fairness and player protection.
What it does not give: Estonian consumer protection, a deposit guarantee or a fast procedure. Resolving a complaint can take months and the outcome is not enforceable in the same way as a domestic decision. The licence is a risk reducer, not insurance.
What to check:
- find the licence number in the casino's footer and check it in the register — a mere logo or image means nothing; - see whether the company name in the register matches the one you are sending money to; - check whether the terms state the complaints procedure and its deadlines.
Alongside Curaçao you will also meet other cheaper jurisdictions whose requirements are looser. That does not automatically make a casino bad, but it belongs in your risk assessment. Which permit each operator works under is stated in its review in the ranking; what a foreign licence really means for an Estonian player is summarised on the responsible gambling page.