Curaçao court dismisses player’s claim against Stake

The Court of First Instance of Curaçao on 9 June 2025 dismissed a player’s lawsuit against the crypto casino Stake (Medium Rare N.V.), in which he sought compensation of 36.6 BTC and approximately 400,000 USDT allegedly lost on the platform.

Details of the claim against Stake

The claimant demanded that the operator pay 36.6047 BTC and 403,399 USDT, or their equivalent value, arguing that the casino had allegedly committed violations and failed to prevent his gambling losses.

The court decision was published on 28 January 2026.

The court’s position

No obligation to monitor player behavior

The court stated that during the claimant’s gambling activity in 2022–2023, Stake had no statutory obligation to monitor player behavior.

The Curaçao law on the protection of vulnerable players only entered into force on 24 December 2024 and does not apply retroactively.

Use of false information and VPN

The court also found that the player had provided false information about his country of residence, listing India instead of his actual residence in the United Kingdom, and used a VPN to bypass regional restrictions.

Under these circumstances, Stake was entitled to rely on the information provided by the user.

Responsible gambling considerations

Self-exclusion and operator actions

In May 2023, Stake informed the player about the option of self-exclusion, but he did not make use of this tool.

The claimant only reported having a gambling addiction on 8 December 2023, after which the account was blocked within two days.

Bonuses and allegations of misconduct

The court noted that offering bonuses is a common practice in online casinos and does not in itself prove misconduct.

Until December 2023, Stake had no information indicating that the player was experiencing gambling-related problems.

Legal costs

The court ordered the claimant to reimburse the casino’s legal costs in the amount of approximately €5,600.