Guide
How much does an online gambling licence cost?
The regulator's fee is only one of four cost layers. Here is what each layer includes, what we can say about Curaçao, Malta and the United Kingdom, and how to budget.
The short answer
There is no single price for an online gambling licence. The total depends on the licence type, the jurisdiction, your corporate structure and how complete your documentation is when you start. What you can do is budget in four layers, and know which of them will dominate for you.
The regulator's fee is the part everyone asks about, and often the smallest of the four. The larger costs are usually the work behind the application and the cost of running a compliant operation afterwards.
The four cost layers
| Layer | What it includes | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator fees | An application (opening) fee and annual licence fees, sometimes with a percentage of gaming revenue on top. | The jurisdiction, the licence type and your expected revenue. |
| Entity and local presence | Forming the licensed company, a registered office, local directors or staff, and premises where the regulator requires them. | The jurisdiction's rules and your licence type. |
| Preparation and application support | UBO and source-of-funds documentation, policies, the business plan, and liaison with the regulator until the decision. | How complete your file is today, and how much restructuring it needs. |
| Ongoing compliance | Reporting, audits, monitoring rule changes, policy updates and renewals. | The number of products and jurisdictions, and how fast the rules move. |
Malta: the most structured fee schedule
Malta licenses business-to-consumer activity in four types and supply to other businesses under a single critical gaming supply licence. The figures below are the indicative annual licence fees; the regulator charges a progressive percentage on gaming revenue, up to the maximum shown.
- Application (opening) fee: €5,000, non-refundable.
- Paid-up share capital: €100,000 for types 1 and 2, and €40,000 for types 3 and 4.
- Typical timeline: 4 to 8 months from application, excluding the preparation phase.
| Licence type | Examples | Minimum annual fee | Maximum with progressive percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2C type 1 | Online casino, lotteries, online roulette | €15,000 | €375,000 |
| B2C type 2 | Sports betting, fixed-odds betting | €25,000 | €600,000 |
| B2C type 3 | Poker rooms, bingo, peer-to-peer games | €25,000 | €500,000 |
| B2C type 4 | Esports, fantasy sports, quizzes | €5,000 | €500,000 |
| B2B (critical gaming supply) | Game developers, platforms, back-office services | €25,000 | €35,000 from the second year, with revenues from €10 million |
Indicative figures in EUR, excluding VAT. The regulator's current fee schedule applies; we confirm it for your structure in the scoping call.
Curaçao and the United Kingdom: what drives the number
Curaçao
- Regulator fees are set by the Curaçao Gaming Authority by licence type (B2C or B2B) and revenue.
- The LOK requires real local presence, not just a registered-agent address, and what counts depends on the licence type. Sizing it correctly is one of the biggest cost levers.
- The documentation standard rose materially under the LOK. A file that needs UBO restructuring or a rebuilt AML/CFT policy set costs more to prepare, and operators moving from a sub-licence should budget for that transition.
United Kingdom
- Application and annual fees depend on the licence type and your expected gross gambling yield.
- Individuals in management and functional roles may need personal licences, each with its own application.
- The Commission is demanding on conduct and enforcement, so the cost of a credible compliance programme under the LCCP is a real part of the budget.
- From a complete application, the Commission works to a timeline of around 16 weeks; incomplete files take longer.
We confirm the current regulator fee schedule for your activity and structure before you commit, rather than quoting a figure that may already be out of date.
Costs that are easy to miss
- Banking and payment-provider onboarding, which often takes longer and costs more than the licence itself suggests.
- Independent testing and technical audits of your platform and games where the regulator requires them.
- Auditors, accountants and legal support in the licensing jurisdiction.
- Local staff, a registered office and premises, where presence is required.
- Responding to regulator questions and, if needed, re-submitting parts of the file.
- Annual licence fees, renewals and the cost of notifying changes to the business.
How to budget, in five steps
- Decide the licence type first. B2C versus B2B, and the category within it, changes almost every number.
- Get the regulator's current fee schedule in writing for your structure.
- Price the entity and the local presence the licence type actually requires.
- Scope the preparation work after a file review, not before. An honest read of your documents is what turns an estimate into a number.
- Keep a contingency for regulator questions, re-submissions and slower-than-planned banking.
What it costs to work with us
We work in two ways: a retainer of $8,333 a month ($100,000 a year, billed annually) for operators with an ongoing licensing and compliance workload, and a fixed-fee Licence Launch project from $20,000 for a single, straightforward licence. Regulator fees and third-party costs are paid separately. Details are on the pricing page.
Questions about licence costs
Keep reading
Guide
How to get an online gambling licence
The decisions to make, the eight steps of an application, the documents regulators ask for, and where operators lose time.
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
B2C or B2B: which gambling licence do you need?
The difference, how to decide, and the mistakes operators and suppliers make.
Want a cost estimate for your structure?
A short call is usually enough to tell you where your plan stands and what the sensible next step is.