Curaçao Formalises Exit Rules for Online Gaming Licensees
The instructions cover voluntary licence surrender, enforcement revocation, rejected licence extensions, rejected applications for indefinite licences, and the closure of individual domains or apps.
Rejected Licensees Get Six Weeks to Close
Where the CGA rejects a second-term provisional licence or an application for an indefinite licence, the company has six weeks from the date of the rejection letter to complete an orderly wind-down. The period is not a grace period for continued gaming activity. The licensee must immediately stop using the CGA seal, accepting new business, servicing existing contracts, onboarding players, and allowing existing players to wager.
A completed wind-down report must be provided to the regulator at the end of the six-week period. The CGA will then assess the contents of the report.
Enforcement revocation triggers immediate operational restrictions. The licensee must stop accepting new business, servicing existing gaming contracts, registering players, and allowing existing players to wager.
Player Balances Remain Payable
Ending gaming activity does not dissolve the Curaçao company behind it. The subsequent deregistration or liquidation would constitute an independent civil law procedure.
This leaves the licensee responsible for outstanding civil-law obligations, including player claims and other liabilities. The rights of the players would not become extinguished at the end of the wind-down period. The regulatory fees paid earlier would not be refundable. The liabilities of the operators towards the CGA and the Curaçao government would continue to exist.
The report on cessation of operations B2C contains information required from the operators. This is about any pending withdrawal transactions, unresolved complaints, remaining jackpots or funds, and the balance of fiat and virtual currencies. The operators need to disclose whether the custodian assets correspond to the player funds within their accounting records. Information from banks, EMIs, and virtual asset providers might be required.
In case players are transferred to another licensed operator or jurisdiction, they must be treated fairly, and the transfer must not result in any material reduction in player protection.
Voluntary Exits Need Regulatory Sign-Off
A B2B or B2C licensee that voluntarily surrenders its licence must submit a letter signed by its local managing director. The letter must explain the reason and give the exact date and time at which the relevant licensed activities stopped or will stop. A completed wind-down report must accompany the request. Once the CGA acknowledges the request, the operator may remove the domain from the licensing portal.
For operators, the costly part may come after wagering stops. Wallet reconciliations, withdrawals, complaints and supporting records must still be managed. The new rules make a quiet disappearance harder and give the CGA a clearer route to pursue unpaid claims across borders.