Definition
In the iGaming industry, a licence is an official legal authorisation granted by a government-appointed regulatory body permitting a company to offer gambling services - casino games, sports betting, poker, bingo, lottery, or virtual sports - to players within or from a defined jurisdiction. Operating without a valid licence in a jurisdiction that requires one constitutes a criminal offence in most regulated markets, exposing operators, directors, and in some cases affiliates to prosecution, asset seizure, and permanent market bans.
The licence is therefore the foundational commercial asset of any legitimate iGaming business.
Licences are jurisdiction-specific: there is no global iGaming licence. Each regulatory authority issues licences under its own legal framework, with distinct product scope, player protection requirements, technical standards, and compliance obligations.
A Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) B2C licence permits operators to offer casino and sports betting services to EU/EEA players under a single authorisation but does not grant access to nationally regulated markets such as Germany, Sweden, or Denmark, which require local licences. An operator with genuine multi-market ambitions may hold 10–15 separate licences simultaneously, each with its own renewal cycle, compliance audit, and annual fee.
The licensing process typically involves: submission of a detailed application (corporate structure, beneficial ownership disclosure, business plan, source of funds for capitalisation); background checks on directors, shareholders, and key personnel; technical audit of the platform (RNG certification, game fairness testing, responsible gaming tool verification); and payment of application and annual fees. Timelines range from 2–4 weeks for a Curaçao sub-licence to 6–18 months for a UKGC or Swedish Spelinspektionen licence.
Annual fees range from approximately $6,000 for a Curaçao e-Gaming licence to €25,000–€100,000 for an MGA B2C licence and £2,906–£58,288 for a UKGC operating licence (based on gross gambling yield tiers).
For B2B stakeholders - software providers, game studios, PSPs - the licence landscape is equally important. Many regulatory frameworks require B2B suppliers to hold their own supplier or software licence before providing services to licensed operators.
The MGA's B2B Critical Gaming Supply licence, the UKGC's software licence, and the Gibraltar Regulatory Authority's B2B licence all impose technical and financial obligations on suppliers. Affiliates must also understand the licensing context of operators they promote: directing players to unlicensed operators in regulated markets can expose affiliates to regulatory action under local advertising law.
Worked example
An operator obtains an MGA B2C licence, allowing them to accept players from EU/EEA markets. Annual licence fee: €25,000–€100,000.
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Browse more iGaming terms in our glossary.
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