Operator File · Curaçao

Stake

Licence status, GamStop coverage and any publicly documented issues for Stake, with sources. A listing is a record, not an allegation of wrongdoing.

Ownership and licensing

Stake.com was founded in 2017 by Ed Craven and Bijan Tehrani, who in 2016 had established Easygo, a company that developed games for online casinos. The platform is operated by Medium Rare N.V., a company incorporated in Curacao. Stake lists a Curacao licence, OGL/2024/1451/0918, held by Medium Rare N.V. The OGL/2024 format reflects Curacao's new regime, under which the Curacao Gaming Authority issues licences directly, replacing the previous master and sub-licence system. That change followed the National Ordinance on Games of Chance, which took effect in December 2024. Stake's AskGamblers profile records the operator as Medium Rare N.V., licensed by the Curacao Gaming Control Board, and established in 2017.

UK market position

Stake operated in Great Britain through a white-label arrangement with TGP Europe Limited, rather than under a licence held directly by Medium Rare N.V. On 5 April 2023, the UK Gambling Commission ordered TGP Europe Limited to pay a 316,250 pound penalty for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings. In a consumer information notice, the Commission confirmed that stake.uk.com would no longer be a licensed website, with the final shutdown of the Great Britain site taking place by 11 March 2025. The exit was framed as a strategic decision, made in mutual agreement with TGP Europe, to leave white-label agreements and focus on local licences, following increased regulatory attention. UK-facing operations ended on 11 March 2025.

2023 cryptocurrency theft

In early September 2023, the FBI attributed a theft of approximately 41 million US dollars in cryptocurrency from Stake.com to North Korea's Lazarus Group.

What the record shows

Our research found no substantiated public regulatory or court action against Stake. This file reflects licence and status records only, and is not a suggestion of wrongdoing.

Complaints about Stake

Players report on AskGamblers a recurring pattern of disputes against Stake centred on KYC verification and withheld withdrawals. The platform records dozens of complaints, with titles such as 'Account locked despite giving them kyc', 'Stake refuses to accept my documents', and 'Closed my account and do not approve the withdrawal', and an average disputed value above 12,000 US dollars. Stake's AskGamblers profile records an average complaint value of about 12,610 US dollars. These are player-submitted reports on the platform, not proven findings of operator wrongdoing.

A complaint about Stake should go to Stake itself first, in writing through its published procedure, with every reply kept. If Stake does not resolve it, escalation points at Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA), and in practice the pressure comes from the evidence your own records support. The sequence is set out in how to escalate a casino complaint.

What the licence requires

Stake is regulated by Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) under licence OGL/2024/1451/0918, and it holds no UK Gambling Commission licence, so GamStop and the UK dispute-resolution framework do not apply. Read more on how Curaçao casino law works.

If you are trying to recover money

Because Stake is licensed in Curaçao and not by the UK Gambling Commission, no UK adjudicator can order a refund, so recovery runs as a claim built on Stake's own complaints process and contractual terms, taken forward with a regulated legal partner where the evidence supports it. Preserve your account evidence first, then see how gambling-loss recovery works, the evidence you need to recover losses, and how to escalate a casino complaint.

Two guides carry the detail for a Curaçao brand like Stake. Getting your money back from a Curaçao casino sets out the complaint order and what the regulator can realistically do about Stake. Where a self-exclusion was live and Stake kept taking deposits, read getting money back after gambling on GamStop. The free complaint route finder maps the order for you.

Sources

How we verified this: the Stake file draws on Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) records, licence registers and attributed player reports, checked as our editorial standards describe.

FAQ

Common questions about Stake

Can I get my money back from Stake?

Possibly. Stake is licensed in Curaçao, outside the UK system, so no UK adjudicator can order a refund. Recovery instead works through the operator's own complaints process, the evidence your payment history supports, and where appropriate a regulated legal partner. The right route depends on your evidence, and our initial assessment is free and confidential.

Stake is operated by Medium Rare N.V., licensed in Curaçao, under licence OGL/2024/1451/0918. It is recorded as licensed under Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA). The brand has operated since 2017. It sits outside GamStop, so a GamStop self-exclusion does not block it.

Stake does not list the UK as an accepted market. Exited the UK market in early 2025; also holds national licences in BR/CO/PE/MX Whichever applies, the licence in force when you played is what shapes the routes open to you.

Our research found no substantiated public regulator or court action against Stake. This file reflects licence and status records only, and is not a suggestion of wrongdoing.

Preserve the evidence first: screenshot your balance, the stuck withdrawal, chat transcripts and emails, and save the terms as they read today. Then make one formal written complaint and escalate to the right authority or a regulated legal partner. Avoid closing the account or accepting a partial settlement before you have taken advice.

No. Nothing is sent to any operator without your written consent. The first an operator hears of your case is a formal complaint you have approved.

Is Stake holding your money?

The sooner the evidence is preserved, the stronger the file. Our initial assessment is free and strictly confidential.

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