Curaçao licence
A Curaçao licence is an authorisation to offer remote games of chance in or from Curaçao, issued directly by the Curaçao Gaming Authority under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance, known by its Dutch initials LOK. It is the licence Irish readers most often find in a casino footer, and it is a foreign licence: holding one places an operator under Curaçao’s supervision, not under the Gambling Regulation Act 2024 or the GRAI.
How the Curaçao licence changed under the LOK
The LOK entered into force on 24 December 2024 and replaced the older NOOGH regime, under which four private master licence holders issued sub-licences to operators with little direct government oversight.
Under the LOK, the Curaçao Gaming Authority, formerly the Gaming Control Board, licenses operators itself and records them in a public register, with separate licences for consumer-facing operators and for suppliers.
The number tells you which system a site describes.
Old sub-licence, LOK licence and GRAI licence
The table sets the two Curaçao systems beside an Irish licence, using the CGA’s published portal information and the GRAI’s own register rules.
| Feature | Old sub-licence | LOK licence | GRAI licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Private master licence holder | Curaçao Gaming Authority | GRAI |
| Number format | Ends in /JAZ | Begins OGL/ | GRAI register entry |
| Current status | No longer valid | Valid if on CGA register | Valid if on GRAI register |
| Irish law applies | No | No | Yes |
What a Curaçao licence does not cover
A Curaçao licence is often read as a guarantee, and it is not one for a player in Ireland. Complaints go to the operator and then to a dispute body certified by the CGA, not to the GRAI, and the Irish rules on inducements and credit card payments in the 2024 Act do not bind an operator that holds only a CGA licence.
Before you deposit, look up the OGL number on the CGA register and treat a /JAZ number as a warning sign.
