The regulator's fee is the number everyone quotes and the smallest part of what an iGaming licence actually costs. A gaming licence is a package: the application and annual fees, the company that holds it, whatever local substance the framework demands, the compliance and technical evidence you have to produce to get approved, and the banking and payment setup that lets you take a deposit once the certificate arrives.
This guide sets out the real total cost of an online gaming licence in 2026, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, using the fee data we maintain on each jurisdiction page. Where a cost is quoted case by case rather than published, we say so rather than inventing a figure.
What does an iGaming licence really cost?
Total project cost breaks into the following categories. Not every category applies in every jurisdiction, and the table further down shows which ones do.
- Regulator application fee. Usually one-time and non-refundable. Curaçao charges €4,592, Malta €5,000, the Isle of Man £5,250, Tobique €18,000. In Nevis the €28,000 licence fee covers issue and the first year.
- Licence issuance or first-year fee. In Nevis the €28,000 B2C fee covers issue; in Tobique the €18,000 application fee sits alongside an €18,000 annual fee from year one; in Kahnawake the $35,000 CPA application includes the first annual fee.
- Annual or renewal fee. Payable every year from year two, and in Anjouan and Curaçao from year one. This is the number that determines what the licence costs to keep.
- Company incorporation. The applicant entity in the licensing jurisdiction. From about €650 in Anjouan and from €2,000 in Nevis; quoted separately in Tobique, Curaçao, Malta and the Isle of Man.
- Registered office, agent or local substance. From a registered agent in Nevis, to a registered office and resident agent in Anjouan (€3,100 a year), to a physical office, local staff and key persons in Curaçao and Malta, to two resident directors in the Isle of Man.
- Local officers or directors. Nevis requires a Local Reporting Officer at €4,000 a year. Kahnawake requires key-person permits. Malta and the Isle of Man require local key function holders or resident directors.
- AML, KYC and responsible-gaming setup. Policies, risk assessment, onboarding flows and a compliance officer independent of the founders. Every framework here expects working controls, not templates. See our compliance and AML service.
- Technical documentation and testing. Platform description, RNG and game certificates, and hosting arrangements. Kahnawake mandates on-territory hosting; the Isle of Man expects local co-location. See technical readiness.
- Legal and professional support. Application drafting, regulator correspondence and structuring advice.
- Banking and payment setup. EMI and PSP onboarding, which usually takes longer than the licence itself. See banking and payments.
- Ongoing compliance and reporting. Renewals, filings, change notifications and periodic reports for the life of the licence. See ongoing support.
2026 gaming licence cost comparison
The table is generated from the same dataset as our jurisdiction pages, so the numbers here always match the detailed guides. "Estimated year-one cost" is the regulator fee plus the maintained company and substance lines for that jurisdiction; it excludes advisory, testing and payment setup. "Main annual fee" is the recurring regulator or licence fee you will pay every year.
| Jurisdiction | Licence types | Estimated year-one cost | Main annual fee | Typical timeline | Gaming tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevis | B2B & B2C | from €34,000 | €28,000 (Licence renewal) | 8–12 weeks | 0% gaming tax |
| Anjouan | B2B & B2C | from €21,000 | €17,000 (Gaming licence (B2C or B2B)) | 8–12 weeks | 0% gaming tax |
| Curaçao | B2B & B2C | from €52,000 | €47,450 (Annual B2C licence + supervisory fee) | 8–16 weeks | 0% GGR (fixed fee) |
| Tobique | B2B & B2C | €36,000 | €18,000 (Annual licence fee) | 4–8 weeks | 0% gaming tax |
| Kahnawake | B2B & B2C | $35,000 | $20,000 (Annual CPA fee) | 8–16 weeks | 0% gaming tax |
| Malta | B2B & B2C | from €30,000 | €25,000 (Annual B2C licence fee) | 9–12 months | 5% gaming tax |
| Isle of Man | B2B & B2C | from £42,000 | £36,750 (Full Online Gambling Licence) | 3–6 months | 0.1–1.5% duty |
Note the currencies: Kahnawake publishes in US dollars and the Isle of Man in pounds sterling. Malta's annual figure is the fixed licence fee only; a GGR-based compliance contribution (from €15,000 a year for Type 1) and 5% gaming tax on Malta-sourced play sit on top. Curaçao's €47,450 is B2C; the B2B route is €24,490 a year. Nevis and Anjouan issue separate B2C and B2B licences at the same fee, so their figures apply to either licence.
Nevis gaming licence cost
The Nevis iGaming licence is issued by the Nevis Online Gaming Authority (NOGA). Year one is from €34,000 with 0% gaming tax. NOGA issues separate B2C and B2B licences at the same fee.
| Category | Fee | Frequency | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence fee (B2C or B2B, NOGA) | €28,000 | One-time | Official setup fee as published by NOGA. B2C and B2B are separate licences at the same €28,000 fee; apply for the one matching your activity. |
| Licence renewal | €28,000 | Annual | Official NOGA renewal on the anniversary of issue. Payable in advance from year two. |
| Local Reporting Officer | €4,000 | Annual | Mandatory locally based officer for regulator correspondence and periodic reporting. This is the standard annual appointment cost, not a line on the public NOGA fee table. |
| Company formation (IBC / LLC) | from €2,000 | One-time | Typical first-year IBC or LLC package: government filing, registered agent and registered office. Not a NOGA tariff. |
| Additional licensed URL | €750 | Annual | Official NOGA fee per extra URL, per licensing cycle. |
The B2B licence carries the same €28,000 fee as the B2C licence. No local office is required beyond the registered agent, but the Local Reporting Officer is mandatory and recurs every year. From year two, budget €28,000 renewal plus €4,000 LRO plus company maintenance.
Anjouan gaming licence cost
The Anjouan iGaming licence is the lowest-cost route we place. Year one for a single licence is from around €21,000 with 0% gaming tax. AOFA issues separate B2C and B2B licences at the same €17,000 annual fee.
| Category | Fee | Frequency | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming licence (B2C or B2B) | €17,000 | Annual | Published Anjouan licence fee. B2C and B2B are separate licences at the same €17,000 a year; the B2C licence covers casino, sportsbook, poker, lottery, esports and crypto gaming. |
| Company incorporation | €650 | One-time | Anjouan company registration and corporate documents. |
| Registered office & resident agent | €3,100 | Annual | Annual company maintenance: registered office and resident agent. |
The licence fee is annual from year one, so year two costs roughly the same as year one minus the €650 incorporation. Anjouan's low entry cost comes with tighter PSP onboarding expectations, which is a real cost in time even if it is not a line on an invoice.
Tobique gaming licence cost
The Tobique iGaming licence is a First Nation multi-vertical authorisation. Year one is €36,000 in Commission fees with 0% gaming tax and no local office.
| Category | Fee | Frequency | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application fee | €18,000 | One-time | Tobique Gaming Commission application fee for a multi-vertical iGaming authorisation. |
| Annual licence fee | €18,000 | Annual | Annual licence fee. Year one is therefore €36,000 in Commission fees before company setup. |
| Company formation | Quoted separately | One-time | No on-territory office is required. Formation of the applicant company is scoped against the chosen structure. |
From year two the recurring Commission fee drops to €18,000, which makes Tobique cheaper to hold than Nevis over time. Company formation is quoted separately because the structure depends on where the applicant company sits.
Curaçao gaming licence cost
The Curaçao iGaming licence is a direct licence from the Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA). Year one is from €52,000 before local substance, with no GGR tax; the fixed annual fee replaces a revenue share.
| Category | Fee | Frequency | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| CGA application fee (B2C / B2B) | €4,592 | One-time | Official non-refundable application fee. Processing does not start until it is paid. |
| Annual B2C licence + supervisory fee | €47,450 | Annual | €24,490 licence fee to the National Treasury plus €22,960 CGA supervisory fee, payable in full by 15 January. |
| Annual B2B supervisory fee | €24,490 | Annual | Official B2B supplier fee. No National Treasury licence fee on the B2B route. |
| Local company & substance | Quoted separately | Annual | Curaçao company, local presence and key persons are required. These sit outside the CGA tariff and depend on the structure. |
The €47,450 annual B2C fee is payable in full by 15 January. Local company, local presence and key persons are required and sit outside the tariff, and many operators still need more than one Curaçao entity so payment providers can underwrite cleanly. The old sub-licence pricing no longer exists.
Kahnawake, Malta and Isle of Man licence costs
These three sit above the offshore tier on cost, timeline and substance. The maintained fee lines are on each guide: Kahnawake charges a $35,000 CPA application that includes year one (rising to $40,000 for complete applications from 1 January 2027), then $20,000 a year, plus mandatory on-territory hosting. Malta charges a €5,000 application fee and €25,000 a year for a B2C licence, plus a GGR-based compliance contribution from €15,000 and the cost of a Malta company, office and key persons, over a 9–12 month timeline. The Isle of Man charges £5,250 to apply and £36,750 a year for a full Online Gambling Licence, with two resident directors, an Island company and co-location on top.
B2B vs B2C licence costs
B2B and B2C fees diverge because regulators price supervision differently for a supplier than for a consumer-facing brand handling player funds.
- Nevis: separate B2B and B2C licences, each €28,000.
- Curaçao: B2C is €47,450 a year (Treasury licence fee plus supervisory fee); B2B is €24,490 a year in supervisory fee only. Both pay the €4,592 application fee.
- Anjouan: separate B2B and B2C licences, each €17,000 a year.
- Malta: B2C Types 1–3 are €25,000 a year fixed; B2B annual fees scale with turnover up to €35,000.
- Isle of Man: a software supplier licence carries the same £36,750 annual fee as a full OGRA licence.
- Tobique: one multi-vertical authorisation with a single €18,000 application and €18,000 annual fee, whether the activity is B2C or B2B.
Where a business is both operator and supplier, Tobique's single multi-vertical authorisation avoids paying two fee lines; in Nevis and Anjouan, budget for both licences.
Casino vs sportsbook licensing costs
In the offshore jurisdictions above, regulator fees do not vary by vertical: a casino and a sportsbook pay the same licence fee. Malta is the exception in our data: the fixed annual fee is the same for Types 1–3, but the compliance contribution floor is €15,000 for Type 1 and €25,000 for Types 2 and 3, so the minimum depends on which type your product falls under. Beyond fees, the difference is in what you have to prove and run.
A casino budget is driven by game certification: RNG certificates and per-game or per-provider certificates for the content you integrate, plus platform testing where the regulator asks for it. A sportsbook budget is driven by odds and data feeds, a trading or risk function, and payment volumes that PSPs price and monitor more aggressively. Neither of these is a regulator tariff, and both vary with your platform and providers, so we do not publish fixed figures. Our technical readiness page explains what testing labs and regulators actually ask for.
Hidden costs operators often forget
These are the items that turn a €21,000 licence into a much larger first-year budget. None of them appear on the regulator's fee schedule.
- RNG certification and game certificates. Required or expected in every framework; scope depends on your content and the regulator.
- AML and compliance documentation. Risk assessment, policies, onboarding flows and an independent compliance officer. Shelf policies fail at banking and renewal.
- Local directors, officers and substance. The Nevis LRO, Curaçao local presence and key persons, Malta office and key function holders, Isle of Man resident directors, Kahnawake key-person permits.
- PSP and bank onboarding. Application packs, due diligence rounds and the rolling reserves acquirers routinely apply to gaming merchants. Where a provider is less familiar with your jurisdiction, expect more time and more declined applications.
- Responsible-gaming requirements. Tools, policies and monitoring that regulators expect to see working.
- Annual reporting and audits. Periodic reports through the LRO or regulator portal, and audit requirements where the framework imposes them.
- Corporate maintenance. Registered office, agent, annual returns and good-standing certificates for every entity in the structure.
- Licence renewal. Offshore licences are issued for one year and must be renewed a few months before expiry. A lapsed licence creates immediate problems with banks, PSPs and partners.
- Tax and accounting. Zero gaming tax in the licensing jurisdiction does not remove corporate tax, withholding or player-market obligations elsewhere.
- A second company. Curaçao in particular often needs a separate operating or payment entity, and many operators in other jurisdictions choose the same split for banking.
What is the cheapest gaming licence?
On headline fee, Anjouan: €17,000 a year, from around €21,000 in year one. On total first-year cost among the jurisdictions we place, Anjouan is still the lowest, followed by Nevis (from €34,000), Tobique (€36,000 before company formation) and Curaçao (from €52,000 before substance).
But cheapest at entry is not cheapest to run or cheapest to bank. Tobique's €18,000 annual fee is lower than Nevis renewal from year two. Banking and PSP accessibility also differs: our jurisdiction data rates Nevis and Curaçao High and Anjouan and Tobique Medium on banking/PSP tier, onboarding expectations vary by provider, and slower onboarding is a real cost. Confirm acceptance with your intended PSPs before choosing on fee alone. The right question is not "which licence is cheapest" but "which licence is cheapest for a business that can actually take payments in my markets". Our Nevis vs Anjouan vs Tobique vs Curaçao comparison works through that decision.
How much should you budget?
For the regulator and maintained corporate lines alone, use the year-one estimates above: from €21,000 (Anjouan), from €34,000 (Nevis), €36,000 (Tobique), from €52,000 (Curaçao), $35,000 (Kahnawake), from €30,000 (Malta, before compliance contribution and substance) and from £42,000 (Isle of Man, before directors and company).
For the full launch, we have previously suggested a benchmark of around $140k–$160k covering licensing, company formation and legal documentation, before platform, content, marketing and working capital; see starting an iGaming business: the questions we hear most. Where you land within or beyond that range depends on jurisdiction, whether you need one company or two, how much of the compliance and technical evidence your platform provider already holds, and how quickly your PSPs onboard.
A practical approach is to budget in three layers: regulator and corporate fees (published above), compliance and technical evidence (quoted against your platform and providers), and payments and working capital (driven by your acquirers' reserve terms). Treat the first as fixed, the second as scoped, and the third as the one most likely to be underestimated.
Request a jurisdiction cost comparison
We prepare a line-by-line cost comparison across the jurisdictions that fit your product, markets and ownership before you commit to a filing fee. It covers regulator fees, corporate and substance costs, compliance and technical scope, and a realistic banking plan. Request an assessment to start.
Related: licensing hub, Nevis vs Anjouan vs Tobique vs Curaçao gaming licences, company formation, compliance & AML, technical readiness, banking & payments, and ongoing support.