The licence: what it is and who issued it
The Curaçao Gaming Control Board (GCB) is the gambling regulator on the island of Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean territory with a long history of licensing online gaming operators. The GCB updated its licensing framework in 2024 under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (Landsverordening op de kansspelen, P.B. 2024, no. 157). Under the new framework, operators receive a direct GCB Online Gambling Licence (OGL) instead of the old sublicence structure that existed previously.
Shuffle's licence number is OGL/2024/1337/0628. It was granted on 16 October 2024 to Natural Nine B.V., the company registered in Curaçao under company number 160998 at Korporaalweg 10, Willemstad, Curaçao.
Shuffle operated under an older Curaçao sublicence structure before the 2024 regulatory update. The OGL is the current operative licence and the one that governs the platform today.
How to verify the licence yourself
The GCB maintains a public certificate portal. You can view and verify Shuffle's active licence status at the Curaçao GCB certificate portal (cert.gcb.cw). Shuffle also publishes its licence information at shuffle.com/info/license.
The certificate shows: licence number, operator name, company registration, and active status. If the status shows anything other than Active, that is a material concern. As of June 2026 the status is Active.
- Go to cert.gcb.cw.
- Search for Natural Nine B.V. or the licence number OGL/2024/1337/0628.
- The result should show the operator name, registration number, and Active status.
What the Curaçao licence actually covers
A Curaçao GCB licence means the operator has met the GCB's requirements to offer online gambling services to players outside of Curaçao's own territory. Those requirements include background checks on beneficial owners, demonstration of technical and financial capability to operate, and ongoing reporting obligations.
In practical terms for players: the licence requires Shuffle to operate games with certified random number generation, maintain segregated player funds (meaning your balance is not mixed with the operator's operating money), and operate a dispute resolution process.
The licence also means Shuffle is subject to GCB oversight and that player disputes which cannot be resolved directly with the operator can be escalated to the GCB's dispute mechanism.
What the licence does not cover
A Curaçao GCB licence is not the same as a UK Gambling Commission licence, a Malta Gaming Authority licence, or a New Jersey DGE licence. Those are stricter frameworks with more prescriptive player protection requirements, faster dispute timelines, and higher financial reserves mandated.
Curaçao is an offshore licence. It permits Shuffle to operate in many markets around the world, but players in those markets do not have the same statutory protections they would have under a domestic licence. Dispute resolution via Curaçao is slower and less certain than a UK or MGA complaint pathway.
Shuffle is explicitly prohibited from accepting players in certain markets precisely because those markets require their own local licence (UK, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, and others in the EU). If you're in one of those markets and somehow using the platform, the licence does not protect you and the operator is not authorised to serve you.
The licence is also not a guarantee of outcome on any individual dispute. It is a regulatory framework, not a consumer guarantee.
The operator: Natural Nine B.V.
The licensed operator is Natural Nine B.V., incorporated in Curaçao under registration number 160998. The three co-founders, CEO Noah Dummett, Darcy Spangler, and Harley Fresh, are the ultimate beneficial owners. The company is backed by Fisher8 Capital, Sunforge, and Cipher Capital.
Natural Nine B.V. is the entity named in the Terms of Service (Version 1.91, March 2026). Any contractual relationship you have when playing at Shuffle is with Natural Nine B.V.