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, cryptoasset and consumer credit 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, set against the regulator’s own published figures.
Acquiring and payment processing arranged alongside the application, so you take deposits from go-live.
Candidates introduced for two resident directors and an MLRO, each assessed against the regulator’s standard.
A reply within three business hours and a written proposal the same day: the licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing.
You will need two directors living on the island, a resident director or approved operations manager as the designated official, and an MLRO.
One engagement and one timetable, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about the people, the banking and the technology for this licence.
The regulator’s requirements, capital, timing, fees and the questions firms ask, 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 12 weeks, about 2.5 to 3 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 | The firm’s own figure, from the regulator’s published data and its own applications |
Figures published by the regulator are quoted as published and converted to months. The realistic timeline is the firm’s own, for 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, in writing | 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; the firm obtains 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. The firm arranges each through institutions that accept the sector, during the application, with the operator’s compliance framework prepared to their standard. See banking and payment processing.
The GSC’s published figure is 10 to 12 weeks from the date it accepts a complete application and the fee is paid, with the decision at a Board hearing. The firm plans 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 advises on authorisation, compliance, safeguarding, banking and transactions, and builds the white-label payment and card technology its clients launch on.
A written proposal on cost, timing and requirements, the same day: speak to an expert.
This guide is general information for firms considering authorisation and is reviewed against the regulator’s published requirements. It is not legal advice; requirements and fees change, and the regulator’s current publications take precedence.
The requirements, the cost and the timing for your business, in a written proposal the same day.