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Online casino license: iGaming licenses in Malta, Curaçao and beyond

An online casino license is a gaming regulator's authorization to offer casino, betting, poker or lottery games online.

  • Malta: €5,000 to apply, €10,000 to €25,000 a year
  • Curaçao: €47,450 a year, no gaming tax
  • Six authorities, each with its sources
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What an online casino license is and who needs one

Operators hold a B2C license, suppliers a B2B one. It takes a company with substance, approved key people, protected player funds and a tested system; Malta asks at least €40,000 of share capital. Curaçao decides its first phase within 8 weeks of a complete file; the others publish no deadline.

It is the license an online operator holds, not the license a casino employee holds. You need one to offer casino, live casino, poker, sports betting, exchanges, lotteries or bingo online. The license follows the games and the markets. Malta licenses four game types under one license. The Isle of Man offers full licenses, sub-licenses under them and network licenses for shared liquidity. Curaçao has issued direct licenses since its new law, the LOK, took effect on 24 December 2024. And any operator that takes bets from customers in Great Britain needs a remote operating license from the Gambling Commission, whatever its home.

What it takes: 1. A company in the licensing jurisdiction with real substance. In Curaçao that means player records on a local server and, from 1 April 2027, a resident key person and a local office; in the Isle of Man, at least two local directors, a designated official or operations manager resident on the island, and servers there. 2. Key people the regulator approves: in Malta, the holders of the CEO, compliance, AML, responsible gaming, technology, finance, legal and audit functions; in Great Britain, personal licenses. 3. Fit-and-proper owners, with source of wealth and funds. 4. Player funds protected and segregated. 5. A gaming system tested or audited before go-live, with AML, responsible-gambling and dispute-resolution policies.

What it costs: application fees run from €4,592 (Curaçao) to US$35,000 (Kahnawake), with €5,000 in Malta and £5,000 in the Isle of Man. Annual fees for an operator run from €10,000 (Malta, controlled skill games only) to €47,450 (Curaçao, B2C), or £35,000 for a full Isle of Man license. Malta charges €25,000 a year for its other game types, plus a compliance contribution of 1.25% to 4% of gaming revenue. It also asks €40,000 to €100,000 of share capital per game type, up to €240,000 in all, and taxes revenue from players in Malta at 5%. Curaçao charges no tax on gaming revenue but a fee for each registered domain or app. The Isle of Man charges a duty of 1.5% of gross gaming yield, falling to 0.1% in the top band. Great Britain scales its fees with gross gambling yield, and Kahnawake charges US$35,000 to apply for a Client Provider Authorization (US$40,000 from 1 January 2027) and US$20,000 a year.

Time frame: from 8 weeks after a complete file for the first phase in Curaçao (extendable by 4) to no published deadline elsewhere. Malta, the Isle of Man, Great Britain and Kahnawake set none in our table, so we give you an estimate after the consultation. Curaçao reviews the company and its people first, then the operation and its controls, and decides a supplier license within 16 weeks at most. While the second phase runs it can grant a provisional license of up to 6 months, extendable to 12. Malta requires a system audit before go-live, and Great Britain testing by an approved test house. (Hint: price the license by the markets you will serve, not by its fee: Great Britain needs its own license whatever your home, so a Curaçao or Malta license alone does not open it.)

iGaming license by jurisdiction

Five regulators: the Malta Gaming Authority, the Curaçao Gaming Authority, the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission, Great Britain's Gambling Commission and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission; and Anjouan Gaming, which the Comoros central bank says has no power to license. Open one for its license types, fees, duties, requirements and sources.

Filter by region
iGaming license by jurisdiction
CountryRegulatorMinimum capitalGovernment feesTime frameLast reviewed
Open details forMaltaMGA€40,000 to €100,000 share capital€5,000 application; €25,000 a year plus a compliance contributionAsk us2026-11-11
Open details forCuraçaoCuraçao Gaming AuthorityAsk us€4,592 application; €47,450 a year (B2C)First phase: 8 weeks from a complete file, extendable by 42026-11-14
Open details forIsle of ManIsle of Man GSCAsk us£5,000 application; £35,000 a year (full license)Ask us2026-11-11
Open details forUnited KingdomGambling CommissionAsk usApplication and annual fees scale with gross gambling yieldAsk us2026-11-11
Open details forKahnawake (Canada)Kahnawake Gaming CommissionAsk usUS$35,000 application (US$40,000 from 1 January 2027); US$20,000 a yearAsk us2026-11-14
Open details forComoros (Anjouan)Anjouan Gaming (not recognized by the Comoros central bank)Ask us€17,828 issuance; €17,828 a yearAsk us2026-11-14

Gaming license tiers: fees, duty and substance

Each regime trades fees, tax and substance differently. Read across a row to compare them.

EU base (Malta)

Regulator
Malta Gaming Authority
Fees
€5,000 application; €25,000 a year (€10,000 for skill games only) plus a compliance contribution
Tax or duty
5% on revenue from players in Malta
Substance
Key function holders approved by the MGA; hosting in Malta or the EEA
Verdict
The European reference: four game types under one license, and an EU home for operators and suppliers.

Fixed fee (Curaçao)

Regulator
Curaçao Gaming Authority
Fees
€4,592 application; €47,450 a year (B2C)
Tax or duty
None on gaming revenue
Substance
Player records on a local server; a resident key person and a local office from 1 April 2027
Verdict
Direct licenses with fixed fees under the LOK; budget for real local substance.

Low duty (Isle of Man)

Regulator
Gambling Supervision Commission
Fees
£5,000 application; £35,000 a year (full license)
Tax or duty
1.5% of gross gaming yield, falling to 0.1% in the top band
Substance
Two local directors, a resident designated official or operations manager, servers on the island
Verdict
A low duty for operators ready to put directors and servers on the island.

Market license (Great Britain)

Regulator
Gambling Commission
Fees
Application and annual fees by gross-gambling-yield band
Tax or duty
Remote gaming duty on profits
Substance
Personal licenses for key roles; testing by an approved test house
Verdict
Required to take bets from players in Great Britain, whatever else you hold.

Hosting-based (Kahnawake)

Regulator
Kahnawake Gaming Commission
Fees
US$35,000 application (US$40,000 from 1 January 2027); US$20,000 a year
Tax or duty
Ask us
Substance
Hosting at the licensed facility in Kahnawake
Verdict
Built around hosting in the territory; used by operators serving international markets.

Last reviewed: 2026-11-11

What a gaming regulator checks before go-live

The order and the forms differ; the substance of the review does not.

  • Ownership: fit-and-proper owners and directors, with source of wealth and funds
  • People: key function holders or personal licenses for compliance, finance, marketing and technology
  • Player protection: segregated player funds, responsible-gambling tools and dispute resolution
  • The gaming system: a system audit or testing by an approved test house, hosted where the regulator requires
  • Anti-money laundering: KYC, monitoring and reporting under the local rules
  • Domains and apps: in Curaçao each one is registered, with its own fee
  • The business plan: projections, the target markets and the marketing plan

Who does what in an online casino license application

What we do

  • Match your games and target markets to the license types that cover them
  • Prepare the business plan, the policies and the key-person files with you
  • Coordinate the system audit or test-house testing with the regulator's review
  • Prepare the payment agent and banking applications that follow the license

What you provide

  • The platform and game suppliers you will use, with their B2B licenses where required
  • Owners and key people ready for background and source-of-funds checks
  • Capital, and the funds that protect player balances
  • Decisions on substance: local directors, office and servers

How to get an online casino license: the order of the setup

Banks, payment agents and card acquirers each look at the license first, so it sits early in the order.

  1. 1Choose markets and gamesThe players you will accept and the games you will offer decide the license type and the country.
  2. 2Form the companyThe license is granted to a company in the regulator's jurisdiction, with the local directors and office it requires.
  3. 3Apply and pass the system reviewThe regulator assesses the company and its people, then the operation, its controls and the gaming system.
  4. 4Open the bank and payment-agent accountsBanks and payment agents review the license before they take on a gaming operator, so they follow it.
  5. 5Connect payment methodsAcquirers and alternative payment methods review the license and the accounts, so payments come last.

Your choice, our commitment

  • Your business model

    The structure follows how your business works and where it operates.

  • Your resources

    We start from the documents and people you already have, and say clearly what is still needed.

  • Support

    Questions about the company, the accounts and the license are handled in one conversation.

  • Clear next steps

    You see what each step involves before you decide to go ahead.

Online casino license questions

Still have a question?

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How much does a Curaçao gaming license cost?

The Curaçao Gaming Authority publishes its fees: an application fee per license, a fixed annual fee for a B2C operator split between the National Treasury and the Authority, and a fee for each registered domain or app. There is no tax on gaming revenue. The amounts are under What it costs above and in the Curaçao row.

How much does a Malta gaming license cost?

The MGA charges an application fee, a fixed annual fee and a compliance contribution that grows with gaming revenue, and it asks for share capital by game type. Revenue from players in Malta is also taxed. Each amount, with its source, is in the Malta row.

What is the difference between a B2C and a B2B gaming license?

A B2C license lets an operator offer games to players; a B2B license covers the suppliers of platforms, games and random number generators. In Curaçao the two categories cannot be combined; in Malta the B2B Critical Gaming Supply license sits beside the B2C Gaming Service license.

What changed under Curaçao's new gaming law?

The National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), in force since 24 December 2024, replaced the master and sub-license system with direct licenses from the Gaming Authority, published fees, local substance and a two-phase review. A license has no fixed term; it continues while fees are paid and conditions met.

Does a Malta or Curaçao license cover players in Great Britain?

No. Any operator that takes bets from customers in Great Britain needs a remote operating license from the Gambling Commission, whatever its home license.

What does an Isle of Man gaming license require?

Substance on the island: an Isle of Man company with at least two local directors, a designated official or operations manager resident on the island, and servers and gaming equipment registered with the Commission. Player funds are protected by a mechanism the Commission approves. In return the duty is low.

What is an iGaming license?

Another name for an online gaming license: the authorization to offer casino, betting, poker, lottery or bingo products over the internet. Each regulator names its license types differently, as the rows show.

Is an online casino license guaranteed?

No. The regulator decides after it has assessed the owners, the key people and the system, and it can refuse or attach conditions. We prepare the file so it is complete for that regulator.

Used in these setups

What comes next

Each service leads to the next: the structure, then the accounts, then the payments and the license.

Plan your online casino license application

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