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A gambling licence is permission from a particular regulator to provide specified gambling activities in a defined market. It is not a worldwide authorisation: an online operator must identify where its players are and what it offers, then confirm which licences apply in each jurisdiction. Great Britain and Malta illustrate how the rules, application costs and ongoing obligations can differ.
Do you need a gambling licence to run an online casino?
If your business provides gambling to consumers in a market that requires operator authorisation, you generally need the licence applicable to that market and activity. The exact answer depends on the country or territory, the games and services offered, and whether your business operates the gambling service or supplies software to another operator.
Great Britain: the market matters even if your company is overseas
The UK Gambling Commission says a business needs an operating licence to provide remote gambling to consumers in Great Britain. Its guidance explicitly says an overseas business needs a licence if consumers in England, Scotland or Wales can play through its site or app. The Commission puts it directly: “You must have a licence to serve British consumers.” Read the Commission’s remote-sector guidance.
That is a Great Britain rule, not a universal statement about every UK territory or every country. A company’s incorporation location does not, by itself, settle whether it may serve a particular market.
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One operator may need more than one licence
The Commission has separate remote categories for activities including casino, betting, bingo, pool betting, lottery management and gambling software. The relevant licence depends on what the business actually does; offering multiple activities can mean more than one licence is required. An operator licence and a software-provider licence are not interchangeable, and remote authorisation is distinct from a premises licence. See the Commission’s remote licence categories.
Can an offshore gambling company serve UK players?
For consumers in England, Scotland and Wales, the Commission’s guidance says an overseas business still needs the appropriate Great Britain licence when its remote gambling service is available to them. A licence from Malta or another jurisdiction does not replace that requirement. Do not treat “offshore” as an exemption or assume that authorisation in one country covers another.
“UK players” can be an imprecise description for a licensing decision. Confirm the exact territories you intend to serve and check the rules of each relevant regulator before accepting customers there. Great Britain’s remote guidance is available from the UK Gambling Commission.
How should you work out which licence applies?
Start with the service and the intended customers, rather than choosing a licence based on the company’s registered address or the regulator’s reputation. A practical jurisdiction review should answer the following questions before you prepare an application:
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- Where will customers be? Identify every country or territory the service will target or allow to access it, and check the regulator responsible for each.
- What activities will you offer? Map each game or service—such as casino games, betting or bingo—to the relevant licence category. Check whether one business needs multiple permissions.
- What is your role? Establish whether the company is the consumer-facing operator, a business-to-business supplier such as a software provider, or both. The licensing route can differ by role.
- What approvals apply beyond the operating licence? Check whether the business also needs premises authorisation, game or vertical approval, or other permissions in that market.
- What will compliance require? Identify the regulator’s application evidence, technical and system requirements, reporting duties, safer-gambling expectations and anti-money-laundering obligations.
- What does the full cost include? Separate one-time application fees from recurring licence fees, gaming taxes and any variable compliance contribution. Confirm the currency, calculation basis and effective date.
- How long might the application take? Use regulator estimates as planning guidance, not a guaranteed decision date.
Rules change and can depend on the precise business model. Confirm requirements with the relevant regulator and qualified local counsel before launching or taking applications as a substitute for legal advice.
What does a Great Britain application require?
The Gambling Commission assesses more than the corporate entity. Its operating-licence guide says it considers the applicant’s identity and relevant people, ownership, financial circumstances and resources, honesty and trustworthiness, understanding of legislation, and ability to follow the licensing objectives with evidenced social-responsibility arrangements. The Commission’s operating-licence guide explains these assessment areas.
Evidence to prepare
Use the regulator’s requirements for the specific licence as the authoritative application checklist. At a planning level, expect to assemble material that addresses:
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- past and present financial circumstances, resources and ability to support the proposed operation;
- integrity and trustworthiness of the business and relevant individuals;
- understanding of applicable gambling legislation and how the business will meet the licensing objectives;
- policies and evidence showing how social-responsibility arrangements will work in practice.
This is a summary of the Commission’s assessment themes, not a complete list of forms or supporting documents for every licence type. The Commission says that where an applicant’s head office and registered office are overseas, it must provide a UK service address. That address cannot be a PO Box and must be maintained for the life of the licence. See the Commission’s guide to operating licences.
Application route and timing
Remote applications are made online. The Commission says a remote application can take up to 16 weeks, depending on business complexity; this is regulator guidance, not a promised service time. If the business also needs a premises licence, apply for the operating licence first. An incomplete application may be rejected without a refund of the application fee, requiring a new application and fee. Check the Commission’s remote-sector application guidance before submitting.
How much does an online gambling licence cost?
There is no single online-gambling licence price. Fees depend on the regulator, activity, revenue basis and licence structure. Application and recurring licence fees are only part of a launch budget; taxes, compliance contributions, technical work and operating costs may also apply. The regulator-published figures below illustrate two different systems and should not be compared as though they buy the same market access.
| Jurisdiction and regulator | Activity and fee basis | Published fees and timing |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain — UK Gambling Commission | Remote casino operating licence; fee category depends on annual gross gambling yield (GGY). | Effective 1 October 2026, application fees range from £8,185 for category F1 (GGY below £250,000) to £165,069 for J1 (GGY of £1.6 billion or more). Annual fees range from £7,000 for F1 to £1,453,949 for J1, plus £272,324 for each complete additional £200 million of GGY above £1.6 billion. The first annual fee is due 30 days after issue and is reduced by 25%; later annual fees are due yearly before the issue anniversary. Commission fee schedule. |
| Malta — Malta Gaming Authority | B2C remote gaming service licence; fees and minimum share capital are calculated by game type, with verticals requiring prior approval. | The MGA page lists a one-time, non-refundable €5,000 application fee; a fixed annual fee of €25,000, or €10,000 for operators solely offering Type 4; gaming tax of 5% of gaming revenue; and a compliance contribution whose amount is in a separate fees document. MGA remote gaming services. |
The Great Britain figures are for a remote casino licence only; they are not generic charges for betting, bingo or other activities. Check the Commission’s live fee calculator and the page for the correct licence category before budgeting. The Malta figures are the published amounts on the MGA’s remote gaming services page; confirm current documents and applicable game type directly with the MGA. Malta authorisation does not establish permission to serve Great Britain or any other market.
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How do Malta’s remote gaming licence categories work?
The Malta Gaming Authority describes a B2C Gaming Service Licence for specified circumstances involving a Maltese or EU/EEA entity offering gaming services from Malta, to a Maltese person, or through a Maltese legal entity. It groups services into four types:
- Type 1: casino and specified games.
- Type 2: fixed-odds betting.
- Type 3: pool betting and listed peer-to-peer or commission-based services.
- Type 4: controlled skill games.
The MGA says verticals require prior approval and that fees and minimum share capital are calculated by game type. Applications use the Licensee Portal; the authority advises applicants to consult its System Documentation Checklist and applicable enclosures. Those details and fee information are on the MGA remote gaming services page. These Malta rules describe Malta’s licensing framework; they are not a shortcut to authorisation in Great Britain or elsewhere.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happens after a licence is approved?
Approval begins continuing compliance; it does not end the regulator’s scrutiny. In Great Britain, licensees must comply with the Gambling Act 2005, regulations made under it, the Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP), and relevant technical standards. Requirements depend on the licence and operation, so operators need controls that address the rules applicable to their activities.
Meet the licensing objectives
Great Britain’s three licensing objectives are keeping crime out of gambling, ensuring gambling is fair and open, and protecting children and vulnerable people from harm or exploitation. The Commission assesses whether applicants can follow these objectives and whether social-responsibility arrangements are evidenced. They are operating obligations to build into the business, not merely statements for an application.
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Maintain reporting and public-facing licence information
The Commission describes reporting obligations for licensees and maintains a public register showing licensed activities, domains and trading names, and regulatory action. Remote licence holders must display licence details and link to their public-register information on their sites and apps. Consult the Commission’s remote-sector guidance for the requirements relevant to your licence.
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How can you reduce avoidable licensing delays?
Because an incomplete Great Britain application may be rejected without a fee refund, prepare around the regulator’s actual requirements rather than relying on a generic checklist. Before submitting, verify that the application describes the proposed activities accurately, identifies relevant owners and people, and supplies evidence addressing financial resources, integrity, legislative understanding and social responsibility. For an overseas applicant that falls within the Commission’s service-address rule, confirm the address meets its conditions and can be maintained throughout the licence.
For Malta, consult the Licensee Portal instructions, System Documentation Checklist and applicable enclosures before applying. In either jurisdiction, confirm the current forms, fee schedule and technical expectations with the regulator; use specialist local advice for questions about territorial reach or the classification of a business model.
What to decide before committing to a market
A sound licensing plan starts with a market-by-market map: target territories, player-facing activities, operator or supplier role, required licence categories, application evidence, initial and recurring charges, taxes, technical work, and continuing reporting and safer-gambling duties. Treat timing as an estimate and fees as jurisdiction- and activity-specific. No single licence should be presented as permission to operate worldwide.
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