Guide
How to get an online gambling licence: a step-by-step guide
What it takes to get licensed as an online casino, sportsbook or gaming supplier: the decisions to make, the eight steps of an application, and where operators lose time.
What a gambling licence is, and who issues it
An online gambling licence is permission from a national or regional regulator to offer gambling services, or to supply the software and platforms behind them, under that regulator's rules. Without one you cannot lawfully take bets or run games for players in the markets that regulator covers, and banks, payment providers and platform partners will not work with you.
There is no single global licence. Each jurisdiction has its own regulator, its own licence types, its own fees and its own idea of what a credible operator looks like. We advise in depth on three: Curaçao (the Curaçao Gaming Authority, under the LOK), Malta (the Malta Gaming Authority) and the United Kingdom (the UK Gambling Commission).
Only the regulator issues a licence. An advisor prepares the file and liaises with the regulator, but no advisor can guarantee a decision. And the licence is not the end of the process: regulators expect continuing compliance, with reporting, audits and policies that keep pace with the rules.
Two decisions come first
B2C or B2B?
A B2C licence is for businesses that offer games or betting directly to players. A B2B licence is for businesses that supply platforms, games or services to licensed operators. Groups that do both hold both. The category decides which application you file, the fees you pay and the scrutiny you receive.
Which markets?
Where your players are, which payment providers you need and what your banks will accept usually decide the jurisdiction more than the licence fee does. A licence that is cheap and fast but limits your markets or payment options is rarely the cheap choice. Our comparison of Curaçao, Malta and the UK sets the three side by side.
The application in eight steps
- 1
Define your model and markets
Write down your products, target markets, payment flows and who will own and run the business. Every later document builds on this.
- 2
Choose the jurisdiction and licence type
Match your model to a regulator's licence categories, then test the choice against banking, payments and the markets you want.
- 3
Structure the entity and ownership
Set up the licensed company and map every shareholder through to the ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs). An unclear ownership chain is the most common reason files stall.
- 4
Assemble the documents
Corporate documents, UBO identification, source-of-funds evidence, a business plan, projections, policies and a technical description. The list is below.
- 5
Plan local presence and key people
Decide who the key individuals are, whether they need personal licences, and what premises, staff and decision-making the regulator expects locally.
- 6
Submit and answer the regulator
File the application and respond to queries quickly and consistently. Every answer must match the file.
- 7
Pass technical and compliance checks
Expect a review of your platform, game integrity and AML controls, with independent testing where the regulator requires it.
- 8
Launch, then stay compliant
Go live on the approved terms, then run the reporting, audits and policy updates your licence conditions require.
The documents regulators ask for
The exact list differs by regulator and licence type, but the core is the same everywhere:
- A corporate structure chart showing every entity and shareholder down to the UBOs.
- Certified identification and proof of address for every UBO, director and key person.
- Source-of-funds and source-of-wealth evidence for each UBO, documented and recent.
- A business plan describing your products, markets, players and operating model, with financial projections.
- An AML/CFT policy and business risk assessment that match how you actually operate.
- Responsible gambling and player-protection policies, with named owners.
- A description of your technical set-up: platform, hosting, game suppliers and payment providers.
- Fit-and-proper documentation for directors and key function holders.
- A plan for local presence, where the regulator requires it.
The download below turns this into a checklist you can work through before you file.
Timelines and costs, in outline
| Topic | Curaçao | Malta | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical timeline | Several months from a complete file to decision | 4 to 8 months from application, excluding preparation | Around 16 weeks from a complete application, longer if the Commission asks for more |
| Regulator fees | Set by the CGA by licence type and revenue | €5,000 application fee; minimum annual fees of €5,000–€25,000 depending on licence type | Set by the UKGC by licence type and gross gambling yield |
| Local presence | Real local presence required under the LOK | A Malta-registered company with genuine substance | Accountable key individuals with personal licences |
Indicative and for orientation. Timelines depend far more on how complete your file is than on the regulator.
For the full cost picture, including the costs that are easy to miss, read our guide: how much does an online gambling licence cost?
Most rejections are avoidable
The same preventable issues account for most delayed or rejected applications: an unclear UBO chain, thin source-of-funds evidence, and policies that do not match how the business really operates. Fixing them before you file costs far less than fixing them after a regulator has queried the file. See the five most common reasons applications are rejected.
Download the application checklist
Common questions
Keep reading
Guide
How much does an online gambling licence cost?
The four cost layers, what we can say about Curaçao, Malta and the UK, the costs that are easy to miss, and how to budget.
Guide
How long does it take to get a gambling licence?
Where the time goes, what slows files down, and how to shorten the process.
Guide
UBO, source of funds and source of wealth
What regulators actually ask for, what a good file looks like, and where files go wrong.
Want an honest read on your file before you apply?
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