Online Gambling License: 7 Best Jurisdiction Choices

Online casino Licensing
Updated 16 december 2019

The only legitimate opportunity to engage in gambling activities is to get official authorization, i.e. online gambling license. You can obtain such official paper in offshore countries having jurisdictions with special licensing committees. Only an online casino license will guarantee that your gaming club is treated as a legitimate object.

Gambling license

Operators have a chance to buy turnkey casino with license by fulfilling the conditions imposed by Reviewing Agency, but it’s not that easy. Alternatively, they may choose to follow recommendations offered by well-known developers on various services including casino licensing. The Online Casino Market professionals will assist, consult, analyze, advise on how to get a casino license completely cost free. Operators can buy casino license from any jurisdiction mentioned below.

Online Gambling License

Creating an Internet gambling establishment is a complex and a long process, even if you’re familiar with every nuance.

To start an Internet gaming club an operator has to:

  • create own gambling website;
  • purchase a gambling license;
  • choose a provider to obtain the software from;
  • choose popular gaming products most likely to pay off;
  • integrate many payment system options into the website;
  • promote an Internet project.

It seems like there’s nothing difficult there but acquiring a casino gaming license requires many certificates, which will take precious time. Online casino license can only be made if you provide the jurisdiction with the maximum informational background about your casino, its partners, financial status.

Today, casino licensing is perfectly done by offshore states. These countries try to form a comfortable gaming environment. Thus, casino clubs are often exempted from taxation, while a casino gaming license they provide costs way less than that a European country may offer.

Why are Offshores are the Best to Buy Casino License From?

It’s a common situation that an offshores has a poor economy. The territory of such country is small, and so is its population. This is why gambling business registration significantly refills the treasury of these countries. Operators benefit from it, which is why they’re ever eager to cooperate with such jurisdictions.

A gaming club obtains:

  1. Global brand status.
  2. Ability to conduct business on the EU territory and acquire TIN of the EU.
  3. Chances of successful collaboration with serious partners.
  4. Increased business reputation (all jurisdictions are known as reputed commissions).

Before purchasing a gambling license, the experts advise to carefully study all aspects related to gambling and licensing: the cost of request processing, the price of a license, the standards of each commission, the deadline for applying and documentation processing.

What Does an Offshore Require From an Internet Casino?

Most offshore jurisdictions impose their own conditions for gambling company registration: some of require one or a couple of a company founding members to be their resident(s), and absolutely all require a sizable packages of official papers to prove existence of website, office, banking account.

A sample list of documentation:

  • Copies of pages in the passports of the founding members and shareholders.
  • A complete listing of constituent documentation from an organization.
  • An establishment has to own an actual physical facility, which fact has to be documented (for example, rental receipts).
  • A quality software has to be integrated on the gaming online resource.
  • A proof of the impeccable performance of paying systems.
  • Official proof of system security and technical support.
  • An organization is required to have opened bank accounts with money on them.
  • There are additional conditions. Thus, some commissions require even fingerprints of all the company's managers.
  • Once licensing is done, a gaming club should conform with the laws of a country, which jurisdiction it is registered under.

License for casino games business

Top 7 Most Popular Jurisdiction Choices

Let us overview the finest of them:

Alderney

The island of Alderney is under the rule of the British Kingdom. Its authorities monitor gambling activities very closely. The main advantages a casino owner may find here include low taxes, tight deadlines for processing applications. Plus they are not required to be residents of the country.

The requirements include access to website audit, gambling business registration in Alderney, availability of a professional legal officer, provision of copies of statutory documents, all information about a website and integrated payment systems, expenditure/profit business plan.

Those persons intending to buy online casino license and work in Alderney should pay attention to the requirement of having a separate permit for each kind of gaming service (Internet casino, lottery, bookmaker office, etc.). operators should mind that the Reviewing Body will check thoroughly the software, games, RNG (if any).

There are two types of gambling licenses in Alderney: for operators (B2C) and for intermediaries (B2B), i.e. those who cooperate with operators on supply matters. There are also permits for gambling activities in full format, hosting, and the work of associate. A gambling license costs about 70,000 GBP.

Belize

There can be obtained one, two or three types of an official permit in this Central American region subjected to the United Kingdom: for landbased casinos, landbased electromechanical slot machines, online casinos.

The main gaming regulatory body of the country requires official gambling business registration in Belize, information on management members and partners, Belize citizenship, fingerprints of financially interested persons, bank certificate on a debt clearance (for 3 yrs), non-conviction certificates on financial, tax, cyber or drug-related crimes.

Once licensed, a casino has to monitor its financial viability, which means to possess a sufficient amount of money on its banking account, prevent delaying the payouts to users, and report financial troubles to the Body.

The minimal price of a gambling license is 15 000 dols. It’s necessary to pay for its renewal annually.

Estonia

The Estonian jurisdiction offers legal/natural persons to acquire online gambling license, which isn’t something the offshore commissions do. Although, an offshore state can issue a gambling license only if there’s a proof of an individual already having a permit for the so-called dexterity game.

Casino owners are not required to be Estonian residents. They’re granted privileges and free flow of business, as well as any indigenous Estonia resident is.

Estonia offers two kinds of gambling licenses: for operational work and opening of a gaming club. Particularity here is that each kind of activity has to be authorized separately. Therefore, operators intending to open two clubs in this European state would need 2 licenses, 2 requests and 2 document packages. The request is accepted only after the payment for its processing (50 thsd EEK).

Requirements include: reliable information about all persons engaged in a project, non-conviction certificates, proofs of financial integrity and using an actual office, banking account certificates, other documents.

Speaking of cost matters, online casino license here is priced 48 000 EUR, opening costs are approximately 32 000 EUR, and totalizator is 3 000 EUR. The taxes are low in Estonia: 5% of a casino profits, 18% of lottery ticket amounts, while slot machines are subject to a duty, which size depends on their number and the manufacturer's brand.

Kahnawake

Kahnawake is a native Indian reservation in a Canadian region, which occupies a total of 41.52 square meters with an approximate population of 9 000 people. Interestingly, there’re more than 250 Internet establishments in this little state owned by 50 firms.

Reviewing Body continues to accept gambling license applications, which are of following types:

  • Hosting registration (IGC).
  • Authorization of legal entities to operate games (CPA).
  • Authorization of gaming services of organizations with licenses of other jurisdictions (IGL).
  • For managing business issues of an authorized CPA casino owner (KPL).

Besides the 4 above-mentioned licenses, Kahnawake issues online poker permits.

The expenses for a Kahnawake license aren’t very large:

  • the cheapest online casino license costs 5 000 CAD (personal KPL) to a licensee;
  • СРА costs 25 000 CAD;
  • technical audit costs 15 000 CAD;
  • the annual renewal of a license costs 10 000 CAD.

The Reviewing Board primarily turns attention to the software quality and guarantees of integrity and security to users.

Austria

Austria has been long successfully issuing gambling permits but the government tightened recently the terms for their issuance. At present, a casino gaming license is granted only to authorized Austrian organizations. Each gaming category has to have a separate gambling license.

Those companies, which have permits of other countries can also operate in Austria, but so as to have a full-fledged casino running, Austrian licensing is required. Another peculiarity here is that only Austrians are permitted to gamble (foreigners are not allowed).

A Reviewing Board requires scrupulous adherence to gaming rules, keeps track of fraud, stands for honesty in regards to gamers.

Costa Rica

This state provides moderate taxation environment. The official permit it provides has a format different from other jurisdictions. You have to obtain special permit for conducting gambling business: for instance, online casino services, sports bets, Internet poker. But in fact, only the title is different (Data Processing License). It’s a normal casino gaming license in other respects. Any business owner who registered a club here can obtain it.

The Body has already issued an online casino license to 200 Internet casinos, which enjoy benefits from the government.

The Costa Rican gambling license is estimated at 24 000 USD. Internet establishments are obliged to paying a single tax, which is approximately 68 CRC. This money is budgeted and used for eradication of crime and terrorism.

Gibraltar

The tiny country Gibraltar occupies a small piece of land on the Iberian Peninsula, which belongs to the United Kingdom. The population of Gibraltar is just over 30 thsd citizens. The state is a member of the EU, has its own laws and invites companies to start their businesses, for which purpose it registers them and issues casino licenses.

The Gambling Act was designed specifically for gaming agencies and is now operating there. All operators are obliged to follow it. This document regulates the operation of casinos. According to its provisions licenses are issued. There’re no enforcements imposing application processing fees.

Each type of game has to be supported by a specific gambling license active for 5 yrs and priced 30 000-70 000 USD. After that period, a business owner has to prolong it by paying 2.8 thsd dollars annually.

As far as taxes are concerned, they are meager, i.e. only 1% of the profits. But the amount cannot be less than 85 thsd GBP or more than 425 thsd. These rules attract business owners because they’re beneficial to both large and small firms.

Online Casino Market possess great knowledge and specific skills, knows in detail how to obtain casino license. Operators can choose any state mentioned above to buy casino license in. The agency will also help you to buy turnkey casino with license, so that you have no problem racking your head over how to get a gambling license for casino when starting a casino.

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Karen Fill

Author

Karen Fill

Gambling business expert at Online Casino Market

Updated 16 december 2019