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iGaming Licences

Obtaining a license is a must for every online casino. The license represents a legal foundation through which the platform can offer gaming services and conduct payments. Many of the unlicensed operators in the world are often scam sites that are just looking to rob people.

 

Regulators that supply these licenses always oversee the activities of online casinos and make sure that they are in tune with the laws and regulations. If casino sites do not respect the rules, regulators have the authority to suspend or revoke their licenses.

 

If this occurs, then the operator cannot offer its services to players in a specific region. All nations that regulate online gambling have an authority that is in charge of licensing and overseeing online casinos. Some of them operate internationally.

 

Some of the world’s most popular and most recognized authorities are the UK Gambling Commission, the MGA, Curacao and the Isle of Man. We will take a deeper look into the process of obtaining a license in each of these jurisdictions and list their advantages and disadvantages.

 

Let’s start breaking down the details.

 

Curacao Gambling Licence

 

Curacao is known as the authority in which the process of obtaining a license is the easiest and simplest. With other jurisdictions, operators usually need to apply for various licenses, depending on the services they want to offer. Hence, they need special accreditations for:

 

  • Standard casino games
  • Slots 
  • Live casino games 
  • Sports betting services

 

That’s not the case with Curacao. Here, one license covers all. Simplicity and efficiency is the reason why so many operators choose this issuer.

 

To make things even better, you don’t even have to go to Curacao to apply for the license. A representative takes care of the documentation in your name. The documents that Curacao needs from you are the following:

 

  • Professional resume 
  • Criminal record
  • Certified utility bill
  • Passport from the shareholder
  • Bank reference letter

 

Additionally, you need to supply proof that you paid the one-time fees and register a gaming company in Curacao. Once you create a website that meets the standards, the jurisdiction will review your case.

 

The usual waiting time for approval is 4-6 weeks. Once you get approved, Curacao’s regulator will provide you with the standards that you must meet. This is also when you need to pay the aforementioned one-time fees.

 

Pros and Cons of Having a Curacao License

 

There are a few advantages and disadvantages that come from obtaining a license in Curacao. The pros outweigh the cons, which is good. However, in the end, it all comes down to personal preferences.

 

Pros

  • Fast approval time 
  • One license covers all services
  • Don’t have to go to Curacao for documentation 

Cons 

  • Not very respected internationally

 

As you can see, the good thing about obtaining a license from Curacao is the fact that the process is fast. You don’t have to apply for separate accreditation for additional licenses and a representative takes care of the matters for you.

 

The only con here is that Curacao is not as respected as the rest of the regulators in this license because several casinos licensed by this regulator have been caught in illegal activities in the past, but affiliates are coming around to the fact that this licence is becoming more and more popular.

 

Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)

 

The next regulator on this list is the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA). Malta is considered a safe haven for online casinos as it was the first country to regulate online gambling. That is why so many operators have this license.

 

There are 5 application stages in obtaining a license from MGA:

 

  1. Fit & Proper (assessing business liability)
  2. Business planning (in-depth financial analysis) 
  3. Operational & Statutory Requirements (instrument examination) 
  4. System Review (technical test before going live) 
  5. Compliance Review (audit within 90 days of going live)

 

Before you send in the proper documentation, you must know that there are 4 types of licenses here and you can apply for one. Type 1 is RNG-powered games of chance, Type 2 is non-RNG games of chance, Type 3 is related to games of chance where the dealer is not at risk and Type 4 is skill games in relation to Regulation 8 of the Gaming Authorisations Regulations.

 

Applications for an MGA license are submitted via the Licensee Relationship Management System. One thing to keep in mind is that a separate license from the MGA is needed for each of the following verticals:

 

  • Betting exchange
  • Peer-to-peer poker
  • Live casino
  • Scratch cards
  • Commission-based games
  • Lotteries

 

Pros and Cons of Having an MGA License

 

Just like any other regulation, there are certain pros and cons that come from obtaining a license from the MGA. Below, we listed and explained both sides of the story.

 

Pros 

  • An efficient system of applying for a license 
  • Low one-time fees 
  • Respected global authority 

Cons 

  • A separate license is needed for various services

 

First things first, the process of applying for an MGA license is efficient and simple thanks to LRMS. The one-time fees are relatively low compared to other jurisdictions. For example, Type 1 and 2 licenses come at a cost of €100,000. A critical gaming license and Type 3 and 4 licenses come at a cost of €40,000.

 

Finally, the MGA is a respected global authority and its reputation precedes it. Thanks to that, the license builds trust in the eyes of players who are looking to register at an MGA casino site.

 

The only con related to this jurisdiction is the fact that if you want to offer more than just standard casino services, you will have to apply for a separate license. So, if you want to feature live games and sports betting services, you will need at least 2 more licenses.

 

Isle of Man Gambling Licence

 

In the Isle of Man, online gambling activities are overseen by the Gambling Supervision Commission. The law that regulates gambling is the Online Gambling Regulation Act of 2001 (OGRA). Apart from being compliant with OGRA, parties that apply for a license must meet the following criteria:

 

  1. They must have a minimum of 2 directors, both of which are individuals 
  2. They must establish a Manx company
  3. Register players on the Isle of Man network or operate under a network licensee tied to the Isle of Man network
  4. Appoint at least 1 Designated Official who is a resident. If this is not available, then they must appoint an Operations Manager. 
  5. Financial accounts must be located in an Isle of Man bank

 

The needed documents are found on the government’s official website. A lawyer or representative can perform a majority of the administrative activities. The Inspectorate receives the documentation and reviews it. Once the documents and the license fee of £5,000 and approved, then the processing time of the license begins. This lasts 10-12 weeks.

 

This license covers all gambling-related activities and it costs £35,000 per annum (lasting time is 5 years).

Apart from the application form and the fee, companies need to supply the following documents to the commission:

 

  • A PDF of several appointments (people that own more and less than 5% of the entity, investors who invest £250,000 or 25%, directors of the company, DOs and OMs, list of key officials) 
  • An SPDF of several appointments (all remaining shareholders, all remaining shareholders of the parent company, investors who invest between £50,000 and £250,000 or less than 25%, money laundering reporting officer, senior manager, stakeholders that have critical contributions unrelated to financials) 
  • A detailed business plan
  • A letter from directors located in the Isle of Man

 

Pros and Cons of Having an Isle of Man License

 

Just like listing the advantages and disadvantages of the previous two licenses, we will list the pros and cons of obtaining and having an Isle of Man license. Let’s check them out.

 

Pros 

  • A single license covers all gambling activities 
  • A representative takes care of the administrative activities
  • Low cost per annum 

Cons 

  • The required documentation is confusing and complicated

 

As you can see from the list, the Isle of Man’s license shares a few similar advantages to Curacao’s license. The costs per annum are relatively low; lower than the ones of the MGA. One would say that it has the best benefits of both the MGA and Curacao licenses.

 

The only con to this license is the fact that the documentation is massive. You need tons of letters, topics to cover in the business plan, PDFs and whatnot. That will definitely make the process of applying for a license a bit harder than expected.

 

United Kingdom Gambling Commission (UKGC)

 

Finally, we have the UK Gambling Commission. This is arguably the most respected and most reputable regulator in the world. It is no secret that the UKGC sets the highest standards for its licensed operators.

 

Obtaining a license here is much harder than the rest of the names on this list, but the credibility and legitimacy of the UKGC are second to none.

 

Here’s what you need to know about the UKGC and its documentation. First of all, the UKGC licenses the following activities:

 

  • Betting
  • Bingo 
  • External lottery managers
  • Remote gambling
  • Casinos
  • Gambling software providers
  • Gaming machine providers

 

During the application process, the regulator will ask for specific documents, depending on whether you are a remote applicant, sole trader, part of a group, etc. The documents are listed below.

 

  • Share certificates (companies limited by shares) 
  • Ownership structure diagram (all except sole traders)
  • Management structure (all except sole traders) 
  • Articles of association (only for limited companies)
  • Constitution (if you have one) 
  • Memorandum of association (only for limited companies) 
  • Certificate of incorporation (only for limited companies) 
  • Group structure (groups only) 
  • Policies & procedures – LCCP (all) 
  • Rules of play (all) 
  • Customer T&Cs (all) 
  • Partnership agreement (only for partnerships) 
  • Individual identity documents (sole trader only) 
  • Bank statements for the last 6 months (all) 
  • Financial projections for the next 3 years (all) 
  • Proof of funding (all) 
  • Business plan (all) 
  • Personal Management License application or Annex A if the applicant is SSO (all) 
  • Annex A from people holding more than 10% shares (all) 
  • Liquidation/insolvency/administration report (all if possible) 
  • Annual returns (all except sole traders)
  • Profit/bonus schemes (all except sole traders) 
  • List of people that compensated more than £200,000 in the past year (all except sole traders) 
  • Credit report (overseas operators only) 
  • Software supply method (remote license applicants) 
  • Operational model map (remote license applicants)
  • Software supply details (remote license applicants)
  • Policies and procedures (remote license applicants) 
  • End-to-end process diagram (remote license applicants)

 

The fee for the license depends on the activities that you apply for. It is important to know that you can only pay the fee via credit/debit card. Additionally, you must pay the first annual fee in the first 30 days after you receive the license.

 

Pros and Cons of Having a UKGC License

 

To close things off, we will list the pros and cons that come from obtaining a license from the UK Gambling Commission. As you are about to see, there are some advantages and disadvantages of this license, even though it is the most prestigious in the world.

 

Pros 

  • Massive legitimacy and credibility 
  • Your casino meets the highest standards 
  • Top-level security 
  • Access to the no.1 market in the world 

Cons 

  • Long processing time 
  • Licenses are generally hard to obtain

 

Let’s break down the details, starting with the pros. As you can see, the UKGC puts massive credibility on the operator. As a result, UKGC-licensed casinos are far more likely to attract players than other casinos. Security at these sites is top-notch and if you receive a license from the UKGC then that means that your casino meets the highest industry standards.

 

Finally, the UKGC is the key to accessing England, Scotland and Wales. These three markets combined are the most profitable ones in the world as online gambling here is very popular.

 

As for the cons, the processing time is long as it takes 16 weeks. Not only that, but since you need to meet the highest standards, the license is not so easy to obtain. The UKGC does extreme background checks and if a red flag appears anywhere, then it will definitely not award a license.

 

References:

 

https://www.gov.im/media/1349489/guidance-notes-v114.pdf

https://www.mga.org.mt/regulatory/mga-licensee-register/application-process/

https://www.curacao-egaming.com/licenses-and-business/ 

https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/service/apply-for-an-operating-licence