Known to some as a blue liqueur that taste like bitter orange, Curaçao is, in fact, an island and constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. About one hundred and seventy square miles in area and with a population of approximately one hundred and sixty thousand, it is one of the most abundant countries in the Caribbean when it comes to casinos.
Originally inhabited by the Arawak and Caquetio Amerindians, the first Europeans to land on the island were the Spanish in 1499. It was taken into Dutch rule in 1634 after the Netherlands had achieved independence from Spain. There were numerous attempts by other nations to take ownership of the island in the years that followed, but it remains Dutch.
The Casinos
Curaçao (fokkebok / Bigstockphoto.com)
All forms of gambling are legal in Curaçao, with the populous at liberty to create their own laws and legislations. It is one of the Caribbean’s most important gambling hubs and the Gaming Control Board, which was formed in 1999, is responsible for issuing casino licences. The country’s association with gambling is long-held, having been one of the first to legalise online gambling.
The Curaçao economy depends largely on tourism, which is why gambling is of such importance on the island. The law on the matter says that casinos must be ‘primarily aimed at the international market’ and have to be either within a hotel or attached to a hotel complex. In that sense it is very similar to Aruba, another member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Awasa Casino at the Otrobanda Hotel
Located in Willemstad and overlooking the St. Anna Bay harbour, Otrobanda Hotel and Casino has a gaming floor that is based over five thousand square foot. There are more than two hundred slot machines on offer, as well as five table games with the likes of roulette and blackjack on offer. You can also place bets on races and there are bars and restaurants nearby.
Carnaval Casino at the Renaissance Curaçao Resort
The Renaissance Resort can be found close to the Queen Anne Bridge and has its own private beach. If sunbathing gets the best of you then you might want to head up to the Carnaval Casino where you will find as many as nineteen table games and more than three hundred electronic gaming machines. American roulette, blackjack and Caribbean Stud Poker are popular.
Hill Ross Casino at the Trupial Inn Hotel
Not far from the Zuikertuin shopping centre, Trupial Inn Hotel is the home of The Hill Ross Casino. With a gaming floor based over more than four thousand square feet, there’s enough room for one hundred and thirty electronic gaming machines and eight tables. They promise all of the most popular table games in the Caribbean, including blackjack and roulette.
Hilton Curaçao Casino
Offering in excess of two hundred electronic gaming machines and seven tables, the Hilton’s casino in Curaçao also boasts two poker tables and a bingo hall with enough room for three hundred people. Texas Hold’em and Omaha poker are the most popular games played on the tables, but the Caribbean Stud Poker is always busy here.
Princess Casino at Sunscape Curaçao Resort and Spa
Part of a hotel that has more than three hundred rooms and is installed on a private beach, the Princess Casino is based over eleven thousand square feet of gaming floor and has more than three hundred electronic gaming machines on offer. The nine tables are often busy with people playing the likes of blackjack and roulette, whilst there are three tables for poker players.
Sahara Casino at the Curaçao Airport Hotel
Whether you’ve just landed or are about to depart, you’ll almost certainly be tempted to get involved with the Sahara Casino at the Curaçao Airport Hotel. It’s obviously not the biggest casino on the island, being predominantly made up of one hundred and sixty slot machines, but there are blackjack, American roulette and seven-card poker tables here too.
San Marco Hotel and Casino
There are two-hundred plus electronic gaming machines on offer on the three thousand-plus square foot of gaming floor at the San Marco Hotel and Casino, plus five table games. There’s a poker table for those that enjoy some Texas Hold’em tournaments, plus you can get involved with some bingo here if that’s the sort of thing that entertains you.
The Diamond Beach Casino at the Papagayo Beach Resort and Hotel
Located on Curaçao’s Jan Thiel beach is this small but pleasant casino. With a two thousand square foot gaming floor, there’s enough space for more than one hundred and thirty video poker and slot machines. There are also five tables, which see guests offered a chance to play all of the most popular casino games like roulette, blackjack and Caribbean Stud Poker.
Casino Royale at the Holiday Beach Resort
The Casino Royale offers one of the largest gaming floors in Curaçao, based as it is over nearly thirty thousand square foot. That allows it to offer more table games than most casinos, coming in at twenty and featuring the likes of craps, roulette and Caribbean Stud Poker. There are also more than two hundred electronic gaming machines.
Plaza Hotel and Casino
The casino at the Plaza hotel isn’t one of the biggest on the island and it tends to concentrate the use of its space onto electronic gaming machines, but there are also seven tables here. They promise guests the likes of three-card poker and American roulette, plus the ever-popular Caribbean Stud Poker that you’ll find in all of the island’s best venues.
Emerald Casino at the Marriott Beach Resort
The Emerald Casino at the Marriott Beach Resort offers visitors a sense of old-Amsterdam charm and sophistication. There is more than five thousand square foot of gaming floor here, fitting in twelve tables and over one hundred and thirty electronic machines. Video poker is ever-popular, as is blackjack, craps and roulette.
Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel & Casino
Not one of the largest hotels on Curaçao given that there are only eighty rooms, it’s not surprising that the casino here is equally as scaled down. Based over just one thousand square feet of gaming floor, there are five tables and just fifty electronic gaming machines. You’ll still be able to play the likes of blackjack and Caribbean Stud Poker, though.
Courtyard Marriott Casino
The casino at Courtyard Marriott opened in 2017 but is one of the smallest on the island. You can play slot and electronic poker, with table games limited to blackjack, roulette and Caribbean Stud Poker. It’s open twenty-four hours a day for the electronic games, with table games opening later in the afternoon and remaining open until the early hours.