Dutch Caribbean Island, Curaçao, has recently updated its online gambling licensing process with changes aiming to boost the industry’s credibility and introduces new fee structures for gaming operators. The announcement, made by Curaçao’s Finance Minister Javier Silvania, outlines the fees for existing and upcoming licenses under the National Ordinance for Games of Chance (LOK).

Under current regulations, Curaçao offers a single type of license covering up to 40 domains. This license doesn’t require an application fee, and operators are charged an annual fee of ANG36,000 ($20,090) and a monthly fee of ANG7,000 ($3,884).

The forthcoming LOK, focusing on business-to-consumer (B2C) licenses, introduces different fee scales. Operators applying for these licenses must pay an application fee of ANG9,000 ($4,993). They also face due diligence fees ranging from ANG250 ($138) to ANG500 ($277) per individual, depending on the person’s role. The monthly fees for these licenses are set at ANG4,000 ($2,219), with annual fees of ANG48,000 ($26,633). B2C licenses allow an unlimited number of domains, with an additional ANG500 ($277) per year.

For operators transitioning from the current system to the new LOK, the ANG48,000 ($26,622) fee is waived in the first year. However, they will start paying this fee from the first anniversary of their license, and their monthly fee will decrease from ANG7,000 ($3,884) to ANG4,000 ($2,219).

The LOK also mandates that all entities, including those directly interacting with players and those facilitating B2C operations, must hold a B2C license.

The new legislation also introduces business-to-business (B2B) licenses. These will have the same application and due diligence fees as B2C licenses. However, B2B licenses will not incur monthly fees, and domain numbers are not applicable for these licenses.