Gaming
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Sector

Gaming.

Operators, platforms and payment providers to the sector. Operating licences, key person approvals, payment processing and customer-funds compliance for online gaming and betting.

Firms we have licensed.

Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money and cryptoasset firms.

Since 2013Advising global payment firms
60+Countries licensed in
250+Licences obtained globally
Clients
ClearBankVolkswagenMacmillan Cancer SupportRoyal College of MusicStaysureOval MoneyEMQCentus

How we act for the sector.

We obtain the operating licences in Malta, Gibraltar, the Isle of Man, Curaçao, the United Kingdom and the other markets your players are in, the key person approvals, and the acquiring and processing for online gaming and betting operators, platforms and the payment providers that serve them.

Operating licences

MGA B2C and B2B licences, the licence in each hub and national market, and Gambling Commission remote operating licences.

Key person approvals

MGA key function certification and Gambling Commission personal management licences.

Payment processing

Acquiring and processing for gaming operators.

Customer funds

Segregation and protection arrangements to the regulator’s standard.

Gaming licences by country.

An online gaming or betting operator licenses in every market whose players it serves, and a platform or game supplier holds a B2B (business-to-business supplier) licence where its operators trade. Start from the markets you will serve first: the table sets out the regulator, the fees and the timing in each.

LicenceRegulatorApplication feeOur realistic timeline
Malta gaming licenceMGA€5,0004 to 6 months
Gibraltar remote gambling licenceGambling Division£30,000 B2C3 to 5 months
Isle of Man gaming licenceGSC£5,2503 to 4 months
Alderney eGambling licenceAGCCOn application2 to 3 months to the licence
Curaçao gaming licenceCGA€4,5924 to 5 months
Kahnawake gaming permitsKGCUS$35,0001 to 2 months to the preliminary authorisation
Sweden online gambling licenceSpelinspektionenSEK 230,0003 to 6 months
Estonia remote gambling licenceETCBOn application6 to 8 months across both stages
UK remote gambling operating licenceGambling CommissionFrom £8,1854 to 6 months

Where to license.

Licensing follows the player. National markets such as Great Britain and Sweden each require their own licence, so a group starts from its target markets and builds its B2C and B2B structure around them in one programme.

Malta

A ten-year licence for an EU or EEA company, with separate B2C (operator) and B2B licences and share capital from €40,000 to €100,000.

Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Alderney

The Isle of Man covers sportsbook, poker, bingo, esports and games in one licence. Gibraltar charges duty of 0.15% of gross profit for groups with real presence. Alderney uses financial ratios in place of fixed capital, with about 60 days to suitability approval.

Curaçao and Kahnawake

For markets without a local regime, on fixed annual fees rather than a tax on revenue.

Estonia

An EU base with gambling tax of 5.5% in 2026, falling to 4% from 2029, and share capital of €130,000 for betting and €1,000,000 for games of chance.

Great Britain and Sweden

Each requires its own licence to serve local players, including the UK remote operating licence. A licence from another European state does not transfer into Sweden.

Compared

The full comparison sets out fees, tax and timing side by side.

Player funds and payments.

Acquiring, local payment methods and player-funds accounts for new and established operators, arranged through our direct relationships with banks, e-money institutions and payment providers that accept gaming.

New and licensed operators

Deposits from the day the licence is granted for new operators. For licensed operators, new markets, new payment methods or a replacement acquirer.

Player funds

Isle of Man: 100% protection in a segregated Isle of Man account. Gibraltar: held by a licensed credit institution. Great Britain: a separate client account, with the protection level disclosed at first deposit.

Local rules

Sweden accepts deposits only through authorised payment service providers, and Estonia only from the player’s own account.

Payment providers to the sector

A provider that accepts and pays out for operators holds its own payment institution or e-money licence. We obtain it and arrange the accounts. See banking and payment processing.

Compliance once licensed.

Four disciplines, each run to the regulator’s standard from the first day of trading. One in-house team runs the function or works alongside yours, on one framework across every market.

Anti-money laundering

Player checks, source of funds reviews for higher-value players, transaction monitoring and suspicious activity reporting. See financial crime.

Safer gambling

Deposit limits, self-exclusion and the player protection arrangements the licence was granted on.

Player funds

Balances reconciled against the accounts that hold them. Malta requires player funds reports and agreed-upon-procedures audits; Alderney requires cash above player balances at all times.

People and reporting

Key person approvals kept current, returns filed and duty paid on each regime’s cycle, quarterly in Gibraltar.

Technology.

Bespoke white-label player-wallet and payment technology for new and established operators, carrying your brand only, with every licence in a group running on one platform.

Built to each regulator

Isle of Man servers on the Island, Kahnawake hosting in the Territory, the gaming system in Sweden unless remote access is agreed, and Estonia’s control system connected to the tax authority before the permit decision.

Player wallets and payments

Each player’s balance, deposits, bets and withdrawals, with payment routing across acquirers and local methods, onboarding, identity checks and regulator reporting.

New and licensed operators

A new operator takes its first deposit the day it goes live. A licensed operator moves onto the platform to add markets or payment routes.

Buying a licensed company.

An existing licence puts you in market with player-funds accounts and processing already running. The company is sold and the regulator approves the new owner before completion.

Due diligence

Licence conditions, the player-funds record, anti-money laundering findings, safer gambling history, duty paid and the banking in place, each priced into the deal.

Change of control

The controller application with the ownership chain, source of funds and fitness evidence. In Great Britain, controllers with 10% or more file the ownership annex.

Completion

Key person approvals for incoming managers in place first, with banking and processing kept live throughout.

For sale

We act for one side only. Licensed companies and buyers with committed capital sit on our marketplace. See transactions and change of control.

Common questions.

What is the best gaming licence for an operator entering Europe?

Malta, for most operators: a ten-year licence for an EU or EEA company, a €5,000 application fee and a €25,000 annual fee for B2C. Markets such as Sweden license locally and do not accept another state's licence, so the Malta licence anchors the group and local licences follow market by market.

How long does an online gaming licence take?

Our realistic timelines run from two to three months to the Alderney licence, three to four months in the Isle of Man, three to five in Gibraltar, four to six in Malta and Great Britain, and six to eight months across both stages in Estonia. Each assumes a complete, well-prepared application.

Which gaming licences have no tax on gaming revenue?

Curaçao sets no percentage tax on gaming revenue: its fixed annual fees, €47,450 for B2C, are the levy. Kahnawake charges no gaming duty, and Alderney eGambling Limited states 0% gaming duty. Gibraltar charges 0.15% of gross profit, against 22% gambling tax in Sweden.

Which licence do I need to take bets from players in the UK?

A remote operating licence from the Gambling Commission, required for any operator serving players in Great Britain wherever it is based. The chief executive and the heads of finance, compliance, marketing, IT and anti-money laundering each hold a personal management licence. Fees start at £8,185, and we plan for four to six months from submission.

How does an online betting operator get payment processing?

Through card acquiring, alternative payment methods such as e-wallets and bank transfer, and accounts for player funds. We arrange each through direct relationships with banks, e-money institutions and payment providers that accept gaming: for a new operator from the day the licence is granted, and for a licensed operator adding markets or replacing a provider.

Does a payment provider serving gaming operators need a licence?

Yes. A provider that accepts and pays out funds for operators provides payment services and holds a payment institution or e-money licence in the markets it serves, such as the UK or an EU state. Sweden accepts player deposits only through authorised payment service providers. We obtain the licence and arrange the acquiring and settlement accounts.

How we work.

  • Senior-ledThe same senior team handles your application from the first call to approval, including every question the regulator raises.
  • Same dayA reply within three business hours and a written proposal the same day: the licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing.
  • ConfidentialYour plans, your application and any listing stay private. Clients are named only with their agreement.
  • Live workspaceDocuments, regulator questions, messages and progress in a shared client workspace, visible to your team at every stage.

Why firms choose BCC.

  • OperatorsWe have run regulated payment businesses, held regulator-approved roles and licensed payment firms in more than 60 countries since 2013.
  • One teamOne in-house team runs the whole programme, from the application to the day you go live.
  • ArrangedBank and safeguarding accounts, card issuing and payment processing, arranged directly through our relationships with banks, card schemes, issuers and processors.

Speak to an expert.

The licence, the banking and the timing for your business.