iGaming License Comparison: Costs, Timelines and Jurisdictions Compared
Six jurisdictions, six fee schedules, six answers. This sets the Malta Gaming Authority, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Curacao under the LOK, Kahnawake and the UK Gambling Commission side by side on what they charge, what they tax, how long they take and who each one suits. It compares jurisdictions on published numbers; having OHS Gaming run the application is a different page.
An iGaming license comparison comes down to four variables: what the regulator charges to apply, what it charges every year, what it taxes on gross gaming revenue, and which markets the licence actually opens. Malta, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Curacao, Kahnawake and the United Kingdom each answer those four questions differently, and each publishes its own fee schedule.
Operators often treat the licence as a compliance chore settled after the product. That order is backwards: the regulator decides which banks process your money and which studios sell you content.
Why does the licence decide everything else in your build?
Any useful iGaming license comparison starts with why the choice is load bearing: the licence unlocks your acquiring account, it is not a badge for the footer. It sets your payment options, content shortlist, marketing reach and the capital you hold before taking a wager. Marketing reach now includes the app stores, whose gambling policies gate distribution by licensed territory, which is why mobile casino app development is scoped against the licence rather than after it.
Treat it as a cost of capital question. A recognised licence lowers the price of banking, content and acquisition, because processors, studios and ad networks price counterparty risk. Unlicensed, those options close. The conditions attached reach past acquisition into casino player retention, because bonus terms, marketing suppression and VIP handling are all licence conditions that vary by territory.
It is one of six moving parts, with platform, payments, content, compliance tooling and support. Get the order wrong and the application stalls on documents the platform decision has not produced, as the online casino software guide shows.
What the licence actually buys you: banking, payment processing and game supply
Acquiring banks underwrite gambling merchants against the licence, not the brand, and studios apply the same test: content agreements name the territories a licensee may distribute into, so an unrecognised iGaming licence narrows the lobby. Sequence the rest with how to start an online casino business.
Which iGaming licence jurisdictions should you compare?
Six casino licensing jurisdictions cover almost every realistic operator decision: Malta, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Curacao, Kahnawake and the United Kingdom. Three are European tier one, two offshore, and one is market access bought only when that market must be served.
The iGaming license comparison below sets them side by side on the four variables, with the source document for every figure in the final column.
| Jurisdiction and regulator | Licence classes | Application fee | Annual fee | Gaming tax | Indicative timeline | Best suited to | Source and date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malta, Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) | Gaming Service Licence (B2C); Gaming Supply Licence (B2B), Back-Office band | 5,000 euro, one time, non refundable | B2C 25,000 euro fixed, 10,000 for Type 4 only. B2B 25,000 to 35,000 by revenue band; Back-Office 3,000 to 5,000 | 5 percent of gaming revenue from players physically present in Malta | Published estimate, six to twelve months | EU facing brands needing banking credibility | MGA Licence Fees and Taxation guidance note, checked 25 August 2026 |
| Gibraltar, Licensing Authority and Gambling Commissioner, via the Gambling Division | B2C, B2B, regulated individuals, gambling marketing (Gambling Act 2025) | Schedule 1, Gambling (Duties and Licence Fees) Regulations 2026. Not obtainable for this edition | Schedule 1 of the same Regulations. Licensing year 1 April to 31 March | General Betting, General Gaming and Betting Intermediary Duty; rates in Schedule 1, not obtained | Not published | Established operators with local substance | Gambling Division Administrative Guidelines, v2.0.2026, 12 June 2026, checked 25 August 2026 |
| Isle of Man, Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) | Full Online Gambling, Sub, Software Suppliers, Network Services, Token Based Software | 5,250 pounds, all licence types, payable on submission | Full 36,750 pounds; Sub 5,250; Software Suppliers 36,750; Network Services and Token Based 52,500 | No rate stated in the published schedule. Verify with the regulator | Not published | B2B suppliers wanting a flat schedule | GSC Online Gambling Licence Fees, effective 6 July 2023, document October 2025, checked 25 August 2026 |
| Curacao, Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA) under the LOK | Separate B2C and B2B, under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK) | 4,592 euro, the same for B2C and B2B | B2C 47,450 euro: 24,490 licence fee to the National Treasury plus 22,960 supervisory fee. B2B 24,490 | No rate stated in the published LOK schedule. Verify with the regulator | Published estimate, six to twelve months | First launches and crypto brands on a budget | CGA licence fees under the LOK, version 2.0, reported 3 November 2025, checked 25 August 2026 |
| Kahnawake, Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) | Client Provider Authorization; Key Person Permit | 35,000 US dollars, inclusive of the first year, rising to 40,000 from 1 January 2027 | 20,000 US dollars, unchanged. Five year renewal 5,000, rising to 40,000 | No rate stated in the published schedule. Verify with the regulator | Not published | North America facing brands | KGC advisory notice, Increase of Fees, 13 August 2026, checked 25 August 2026 |
| United Kingdom, UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) | Remote casino operating licence; remote casino game host operating licence | 4,224 pounds (F1) to 91,686 (L1, M1) by yield; plus 1,680 for two combined activities, 3,360 for three | 4,199 pounds (F1) to 793,729 (M1) by yield; plus 125,000 per extra 500,000,000 above 1,000,000,000 | Not in the Commission's fee schedule; duties are levied separately. Verify first | Published estimate, nine to eighteen months | Operators serving Great Britain | UKGC remote casino operating licence fee page, checked 25 August 2026 |
Malta, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man: the European tier
Malta licenses through the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA): a Gaming Service Licence for operators, a Gaming Supply Licence for suppliers. Acquiring banks recognise it first, and that recognition is the premium EU facing brands pay. Rules sit in the Malta Gaming Authority licensee hub.
Gibraltar has moved to the Gambling Act 2025: the Licensing Authority issues, the Gambling Commissioner supervises, both through the Gambling Division. Rates sit in Schedule 1 of the Regulations 2026, not obtainable here, so confirm them with the Gibraltar Gambling Division guidance.
The Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC) publishes a flat schedule, not revenue bands, so it is easy to model, and its online gambling licence guidance covers the broadest licence set here.
Curacao and Kahnawake: the offshore tier after the LOK reform
Curacao replaced its master and sub licence system with the National Ordinance on Games of Chance, the LOK, and the Curacao Gaming Authority now licenses operators directly. A B2C application costs 4,592 euro and the annual fee is 47,450 euro: a 24,490 euro licence fee to the National Treasury plus a 22,960 euro supervisory fee.
Any pre 2023 Curacao figure found elsewhere is stale: the sub licence price, the two to four week approval, the Netherlands Antilles address and the Curacao eGaming master licensor all belong to a dead regime. The Curacao regulator's site still carries the old Gaming Control Board name.
The Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC) has licensed online gaming since July 1999, issuing a Client Provider Authorization to the business and a Key Person Permit to individuals. Fees rise on 1 January 2027.
The United Kingdom: a market access licence, not a first licence
A UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence is market access, not a starting point. Betting and gaming are licensed separately, so adding a book changes the arithmetic; see sportsbook licence requirements.
What does each casino licence actually cost per year?
The honest answer on online casino license cost is that the application fee is the smallest number in the table. The annual fee sets the running cost.
The Malta Gaming Authority charges a one off, non refundable application fee of 5,000 euro and a fixed annual B2C fee of 25,000 euro, or 10,000 euro for Type 4 only.
B2B annual fees run from 25,000 euro to 35,000 euro by revenue band, and Malta gaming tax is 5 percent of revenue from players physically present in Malta, all per its Licence Fees and Taxation guidance note.
The Isle of Man charges 5,250 pounds to apply, for every licence type. A Full Online Gambling Licence then costs 36,750 pounds a year, a Sub Licence 5,250 and a Network Services Licence 52,500, per Online Gambling Licence Fees, effective 6 July 2023, dated October 2025.
United Kingdom fees scale with gross gambling yield. A remote casino operating licence costs 4,224 pounds to apply for in the smallest band and 4,199 pounds a year, rising to 91,686 and 793,729 pounds at the top. A new schedule takes effect on 1 October 2026.
Application fee versus annual fee versus compliance contribution
Three charges hide behind the phrase casino licence fees: a one off application fee, usually non refundable whether or not the licence issues; the annual fee for holding it; and a compliance contribution few regimes levy.
Malta bills its contribution monthly on top of the annual fee, with published minimums and maximums by type: 15,000 to 375,000 euro for Type 1, 25,000 to 600,000 for Type 2.
What the fee schedule does not include
No published schedule covers what an iGaming licence really costs to hold. Corporate formation, local substance, audit, testing certification, legal drafting and compliance staffing sit outside it, and no figure is offered because none was verified.
B2B or B2C: which licence class do you actually need?
A B2C licence lets you take wagers from players. A B2B licence lets you supply games, platform or critical services to somebody who does. Malta calls these a Gaming Service Licence and a Gaming Supply Licence; Curacao issues separate B2C and B2B licences under the LOK. The wrong class stops payment onboarding before it starts.
A supplier licence is a different licence, not a discounted one: the MGA charges the same 25,000 euro annual fee at the entry band of a Gaming Supply Licence as for a Gaming Service Licence.
What each regulator calls its operator licence and its supplier licence
- Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)
- Gaming Service Licence, Gaming Supply Licence, Back-Office band.
- Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA)
- Separate B2C and B2B licences, issued under the LOK.
- Gambling Supervision Commission (GSC), Isle of Man
- Full Online Gambling, Sub, Software Suppliers, Network Services and Token Based Software.
- Kahnawake Gaming Commission (KGC)
- Client Provider Authorization; Key Person Permit for individuals.
- UK Gambling Commission (UKGC)
- Remote casino operating licence; remote casino game host licence.
- Licensing Authority and Gambling Commissioner, Gibraltar
- B2C, B2B, regulated individuals, gambling marketing (Gambling Act 2025).
Where the vocabulary is unfamiliar, the iGaming glossary defines it.
Why picking the wrong class stops payment onboarding
The B2B vs B2C gaming licence question is settled by who holds the player funds. A supplier taking a revenue share but never holding a balance needs a supply licence; a brand holding balances needs an operator licence, whoever owns the games.
Regulators also ask product specific questions: poker draws them on liquidity sharing, rake and player transfers, worked through in the poker platform licensing questions guide.
How does the application work, and what makes it take longer?
No regulator in this comparison publishes a guaranteed processing time. Published operator estimates put Malta at roughly six to twelve months, the United Kingdom at nine to eighteen, and Curacao at six to twelve under the LOK. Treat every timeline as an estimate, and expect the clock to start only when the file is complete.
Those come from a published operator guide, not the regulators, which is why every timeline cell is prefixed published estimate. Gibraltar, the Isle of Man and Kahnawake publish none.
What goes in the application pack
Anything useful about how to get a casino licence starts with the file, because the file is the timeline. Emphasis differs by regulator; the pack does not.
- Corporate documents: incorporation, share register, structure, directors.
- Beneficial owner disclosure with a documented source of funds trail.
- Business plan and projections, with capital adequacy evidence.
- Anti money laundering and know your customer policy, named officers.
- Responsible gambling policy: self exclusion and affordability.
- Technical documentation for platform, wallet and reporting.
- Testing laboratory certification of games, RNG and platform.
- Key person vetting for directors, officers and control functions.
Why the clock starts later than you think
Regulators start counting when the file is complete, not when it is submitted. Weeks disappear between lodging an application and having it accepted, and that gap never shows in an estimate.
The commonest cause of a stalled file is the source of funds trail. Anything awkward to evidence, a prior exit, a related party loan or a digital asset treasury, extends it, so operators funding that way should read crypto casino licensing first.
What is changing in the next 12 months?
Three of these schedules have a published change date and a fourth has already changed outright. Hence a dated review cycle rather than a static publication date.
1 April 2026, Gibraltar. Gibraltar moved from the Gambling Act 2005 to the Gambling Act 2025. Existing holders are deemed licensed under the new Act, and a six month transition period opened on 1 April 2026 in which newly in scope businesses must notify the Gambling Division.
1 October 2026, United Kingdom. A new Gambling Commission fee schedule takes effect: the smallest application fee rises to 8,185 pounds and the smallest annual fee to 7,000, new bands F2 and F3 appear, and the flat fee for combined activities rises to 2,100 pounds for two, 4,200 for three.
1 January 2027, Kahnawake. The Client Provider Authorization application fee moves from 35,000 to 40,000 US dollars, both inclusive of the first year.
The 20,000 US dollar annual fee is unchanged, the five year renewal moves from 5,000 to 40,000, and the Key Person Permit fee from 5,000 to 6,000, per the Commission's advisory notice on the fee increase, dated 13 August 2026.
Already in force, Curacao. The LOK has replaced the master and sub licence model outright, and the transitional section for the previous ordinance is gone from the Curacao Gaming Authority fee document. First year fees are billed pro rata across six months; invoices fall due in 14 days and non payment within 71 days brings revocation.
How to keep this decision from going stale
Every figure above was read from the named regulator's own document, or for Curacao a dated report of it, and each carries its source in the final table column. Re verify before committing a budget. This page is reviewed every 90 days, not annually, because three schedules change on a published date.
How do you choose between them?
Match the jurisdiction to the market you intend to serve and the capital you have, then check the class against the regulator's own naming. There is no best licence in the abstract.
A first launch on a limited budget. Curacao under the LOK is the cheapest published route here. Anjouan is cheaper again, but no published schedule for it was verified.
An EU facing brand. Malta, whose fees buy the iGaming licence acquiring banks and tier one studios recognise fastest.
A North America facing brand. Kahnawake, moving before 1 January 2027 if 5,000 US dollars matters.
A B2B supplier. The Isle of Man or Malta: the flat Manx schedule is easier to model, Malta's supply licence better recognised.
Serving Great Britain. A UKGC licence, taken as market access after a first licence, not instead.
The build model follows the licence: a turnkey online casino when you hold it, a white label iGaming platform when trading under somebody else's. For the file run end to end, gambling licence support covers it, and iGaming consulting can pressure test this gambling license comparison.
Last reviewed 25 August 2026. Licence fees, tax rates and application timelines change. Verify against the regulator's own published schedule before budgeting.
Every fee, tax rate and date here was read from the named regulator's own published document on 25 August 2026, or, for Curacao, from a dated report of the Curacao Gaming Authority fee schedule version 2.0. Where a rate could not be verified it is marked as such rather than estimated. More about OHS Gaming.
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