Options for opening an online casino

Obtaining your own gambling license and developing your own platform

Obtaining a gambling license is not only the legalization of High-Risk business, but also the opening of bank accounts and merchant accounts, without which the implementation of this business is impossible. In addition, it is the presence of a license that allows you to receive game content from a licensed supplier. You should also not forget about the need to develop your own platform or purchase a ready-made IT solution on which users can play and which game and payment hubs, as well as fronted, can connect to.

Some of the most popular countries for obtaining a gambling license are:

Curacao

One of the most popular countries for obtaining an online casino license is Curacao. The country is distinguished by both the speed and ease of obtaining a license, as well as low taxes and moderate compliance requirements. The cost of obtaining a license in Curacao varies within 25,000 Euros. You can also get a gambling license in Curacao with a nominal owner. Income tax in Curacao is 22%, however, enterprises that were registered in special economic zones pay income tax at a reduced rate of 2% until 2026. There are no additional taxes in Curacao, and there are no restrictions on receiving dividends. The term for obtaining a license for Curacao is up to 2 months. The validity of the license in Curacao is 1 year with the possibility of annual renewal.

Malta
No less popular than Curacao, but more prestigious and already European jurisdiction is Malta. Compared to Curacao, a gambling license in Malta has a higher rejection rate and higher terms of receipt, but a greater user confidence factor. The decision to obtain a gambling license in Malta will become correct if there are already simpler licenses. Maltese licenses are divided into 4 classes: Class 1 - casinos and online lotteries, Class 2 - various online bets. For example, sports tournaments. Grade 3 - promotion and promotion of gambling. For example, poker rooms. Class 4 - B2B gaming license. To obtain a gambling license of classes 1 and 2 in Malta, the size of the authorized capital of the company must be 100,000 EUR, for classes 3 and 4 from 40,000 EUR. The annual tax for a gambling license in Malta is 8500 EUR. The cost of issuing a gambling license in Malta is 4800 EUR (2330 EUR - filing an application + 2500 EUR - conducting an audit. The validity period of a gambling license in Malta is 5 years.

United Kingdom
The UK is one of the most complex jurisdictions in terms of its procedures and sky-high penalties for violations. Only a real business owner or a TOP manager with experience in such a business and with transparent sources of income can obtain a gambling license in the UK. There are three types of operating license in the UK. Equipment and software supplier license (Operating license), betting or totalizator license (Personal management license), online casino license in the UK (Premise license). An operating license and a personal management license are issued by the UK Gambling Commission, and the third type of license is issued by the place of registration of the enterprise. Great Britain. Also in the UK, there are different types of licenses for land-based gambling and separate branches for casinos, bingo, gambling programs, slot machines and lotteries. To obtain a gambling license in the UK, you need to make a security deposit in the amount of 175,600 EUR, have a real office and a local director. The term for issuing a gambling license in the UK is up to 8 weeks from the date of application. The term of validity of a gambling license in the UK depends on the type of license and ranges from 1 year.

Gibraltar
Gibraltar is one of the largest online gambling centers in the world. In order to obtain a license to open an online casino in Gibraltar, you must confirm a stable financial condition, present a business plan and a license from another jurisdiction (if any). Gambling tax in Gibraltar is 1% with a minimum of £85,000 per year. The tax applies to both online gambling and physical gambling business. The annual license fee is £20,000. The license to open an online casino in Gibraltar is valid for a year.

Obtaining a license and renting someone else's online casino platform
In order to save time and money, you can rent any web platform and provide gambling services on it. This business option is suitable for start-up iGaming companies. You don’t have to spend years and hundreds of thousands to create your backend, but it will be enough just to rent an online casino platform and simply connect hubs and your frontend there.