WhatsApp and Telegram +44 7563 115980
[email protected]
Operators and suppliers that want one licence across casino, poker, bingo, sportsbook and esports, with network liquidity and a Crown Dependency regulator, choose the Isle of Man.
Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money and cryptoasset firms.
Volkswagen
Payment InstitutionObtained Nexpay’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Electronic Money InstitutionObtained Dzing Finance’s FCA Authorised Electronic Money Institution licence.
Obtained Orbital’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Our realistic timeline from submission to decision.
Acquiring and payment processing in place alongside the application, so you take deposits from launch.
We assemble your team: two resident directors and an MLRO.
The licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing for your business.
You will need two directors living on the island, a resident director or approved operations manager as the designated official, and an MLRO.
One programme, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about this licence.
Requirements, capital, timing, fees and common questions, drawn from the regulator’s own publications.
Any business offering games, accepting bets or registering players from the Isle of Man needs an OGRA licence, as does a business-to-business supplier providing software or games, granting sub-licences or running white-label arrangements for other operators. The GSC states that every form of online gambling is licensable under the Act except spread betting. The regime is used by operators that want a single licence across verticals, by network operators pooling liquidity and progressive jackpots, and by software and token-based suppliers serving licensed operators.
| Licence | Holder | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|
| Full licence | B2C and B2B operators; may grant sub-licences and white labels | £36,750 |
| Sub-licence | Operators under a full licensee’s umbrella: own brand, exclusive relationship with one full licensee, the full licensee’s products only | £5,250 |
| Network services licence | Full licence privileges plus accepting players from network partners onto Isle of Man servers without re-registration | £52,500 |
| Software supplier licence | Game and platform suppliers | £36,750 |
| Token-based software supplier licence | Blockchain and token software suppliers | £52,500 |
| Requirement | Amount |
|---|---|
| Minimum share capital | None fixed |
| Financial forecasts | Three years in sterling, with sensitivity analysis and funding sources |
| Player funds | Protected at 100% at all times |
The GSC sets no fixed capital figure. It assesses the forecasts, the funding and the player-funds mechanism together, and expects fees never to erode the protection of participants’ money.
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory decision period | No statutory decision period; the licence must be taken up within three months of approval and go live within nine months | Online Gambling Regulation Act 2001 and GSC application guidance |
| Regulator’s published figure | 10 to 16 weeks, about 2.5 to 4 months, from the date the Inspectorate accepts a complete application with the fee paid, with the decision at a Board hearing | GSC, guidance for making a licence application |
| Application preparation | 6 to 8 weeks | From instruction to submission, including banking in parallel |
| Our realistic timeline | 3 to 4 months after submission, the GSC’s figure running from acceptance of a complete application | Our own figure, from the regulator’s published data and our applications |
Regulator figures are quoted as published and converted to months. Our realistic timeline assumes a complete, well-prepared application.
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | £5,250 | All licence types; payable on submission; checks do not start until paid |
| Full licence | £36,750 | On Board approval, then annually |
| Sub-licence | £5,250 | Annually |
| Network services licence | £52,500 | Annually |
| Software supplier licence | £36,750 | Annually |
| Token-based software supplier licence | £52,500 | Annually |
| Gambling duty | Under the Gambling Duty Act 2012 | Rates set under the Act; the GSC’s pages publish no rate table |
| Professional fees | Fixed | Quoted after scoping |
The licence authorises gambling from the Isle of Man and does not itself grant access to other jurisdictions. Advertising may not target jurisdictions where online gambling is prohibited, products may not be split across jurisdictions, and Isle of Man regulated pages may only link to products bearing an EEA regulator’s badge. A network services licence allows players registered with contracted network partners that meet Isle of Man AML and KYC standards to play on Isle of Man servers without re-registering. Operators serving Great Britain hold a Gambling Commission licence alongside; we obtain both.
The GSC publishes what slows an application and what it looks for at the hearing.
An operator needs acquiring, alternative payment methods and a segregated client account for participants’ money, which the GSC expects at a bank located in the Isle of Man unless it approves an alternative in writing. We open each alongside the application. See banking and payment processing.
The GSC’s published figure is 10 to 16 weeks from the date it accepts a complete application and the fee is paid, with the decision at a Board hearing. We plan for three to four months after submission.
£5,250 on application for every licence type, then £36,750 a year for a full licence, £5,250 for a sub-licence, £52,500 for a network services or token-based software licence and £36,750 for a software supplier licence. These are the fees in force since 6 July 2023.
At least two natural-person directors, and a designated official who is a director giving essentially full time to the role, or a GSC-approved resident operations manager where the designated official lives elsewhere.
Yes. Player registration and gameplay services run on servers physically located on the Island for every licence type except software-only suppliers with no player interaction; network licensees also host wallets, game aggregation and account management there.
At 100% at all times, in a segregated client account at a recognised bank held on trust for participants, or by a bank guarantee, trust fund, insurance or an approved collective investment scheme holding sterling cash.
A regulatory advisory firm to payment, e-money and cryptoasset companies since 2013, with more than 250 licences obtained in more than 60 countries. The firm builds licensed payment, e-money, crypto and stablecoin businesses: the licence, the team, the technology, the bank accounts and card issuing.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Requirements and fees change, and the regulator’s own publications take precedence.
The licence, your team, banking and technology, delivered as one programme.