How to Obtain a Casino License

To obtain a casino license, a company applies to a gambling regulator, proves that its owners, money, games and systems are suitable, pays the fees and then accepts ongoing supervision. The details depend on where it wants to operate. In the US, online casino licences exist only in a handful of states and are tied to land-based casinos or tribes. Elsewhere, operators choose from regulators that range from the strict UK Gambling Commission to low-cost offshore licensors such as Anjouan.

Updated October 2026. The old version of this page covered only the UK. We added the US state licensing route with fees from the statutes and regulators, the main offshore licences US-facing sites use, current UK fees and rules, and a short guide for players on how to check a licence.

Casino Licences Compared

The table sets out who can apply and what it costs in the jurisdictions players meet most often. Figures are as of October 2026 and come from each regulator or statute, listed in the sources below.

How to Get a Casino License in the US

There is no federal online casino licence. Each state decides whether to allow online casinos, and as of October 2026, eight states have legalised online casinos; seven markets are live (New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island), and Maine legalised a tribal-only market (LD 1164: became law without the governor’s signature in January 2026, effective 29 July 2026) that has not launched. The regulators are the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the Michigan Gaming Control Board, the West Virginia Lottery, Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection, the Delaware Lottery and the Rhode Island Lottery.

The common thread is that a new brand cannot simply apply on its own. Online licences are tied to existing land-based casinos or tribes, and the big online brands enter each state through a partnership with one of them.

New Jersey

New Jersey launched online casinos in November 2013. Each online casino operates through an Atlantic City casino licensee, which remains responsible for it, while technology platforms and brands are licensed as partners. The Division of Gaming Enforcement publishes a list of authorised internet gaming sites and says any site not on it is not approved. Internet gaming revenue is taxed at 19.75%, up from 15% before 1 July 2025, according to the Division’s summary of taxes and fees.

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s Act 42 of 2017 created three kinds of interactive gaming certificate: peer-to-peer games such as poker, games that simulate slot machines, and games that simulate banked table games. The Board may issue 13 certificates in each category. In 2018 the state’s casino licensees could buy all three for a combined $10 million in the first 90 days, or one to three at $4 million each until 14 August 2018. Certificates left unclaimed can go to a “qualified gaming entity”, a gaming company licensed in another jurisdiction that meets the Board’s financial and character criteria. Online slot revenue is taxed at 54% and online table games and poker at 16%.

Michigan

Michigan’s Lawful Internet Gaming Act of 2019 is the clearest example of the rules on paper. Only a Detroit casino licensee or a federally recognised tribe operating a casino in the state can hold an internet gaming operator licence, and each may hold no more than one. Applicants pay a $50,000 application fee, $100,000 when the licence is issued and $50,000 each year after that, and must prove its suitability “by clear and convincing evidence”. The tax runs from 20% on adjusted gross receipts under $4 million to 28% on receipts of $12 million or more, and players must be 21 or older. Internet gaming went live in Michigan on 22 January 2021.

Licences for suppliers and staff

The casino brand is only one licence holder. Platform providers, game studios and live dealer studios need supplier or vendor licences in each state, which is why the live tables at state-licensed casinos come from a short list of approved studios. Michigan’s internet gaming supplier licence costs $5,000 when issued and $2,500 a year after.

Individuals need licences too. In New Jersey, the Casino Control Commission licenses casino key employees, including certain staff of internet gaming affiliates. The key employee licence carries a $750 application fee, the total issuance fee cannot exceed $4,000, and a further $750 is due for the five-year resubmission of information.

How to Apply for a License in the UK

The UK route is open to any company, wherever it is based, that wants to offer gambling to people in Great Britain. Policy sits with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and licensing is run by the Gambling Commission. An online casino needs a remote casino operating licence. People in specified management roles need a personal management licence, and some staff need a personal functional licence. Small-scale operators can file a personal declaration instead of personal management licences.

The application is made online. The Commission asks for the ownership, management and group structure, the source of funding, customer terms, rules of play, gambling software supply details, and policies showing compliance with its Licence Conditions and Codes of Practice (LCCP) and remote technical standards. It says remote applications can take up to 16 weeks, depending on how complex the business is. Plan for that and submit a complete file, because missing documents slow the review.

Fees depend on expected annual gross gambling yield (GGY). For a remote casino licence in October 2026, the application fee is £8,185 for GGY under £250,000, £14,483 up to £875,000, £25,628 up to £3 million and £40,475 up to £10.5 million, with higher bands above that. Annual fees start at £7,000 for the smallest band.

What Happens if You Get a License?

A licence is the start of supervision, not the end of it. Licensees pay an annual fee, submit regular returns, report key events and must keep complying with their licence conditions, or face fines, conditions or revocation. Anti-money laundering is a priority for every serious regulator: in the UK, casinos fall under the Money Laundering Regulations, and in the US the Bank Secrecy Act treats casinos as financial institutions.

Rules also change after a licence is granted. In the UK alone:

• In February 2021 the Gambling Commission banned autoplay, features that speed up play and spin speeds faster than 2.5 seconds on online slots, and banned sounds or images that celebrate a “win” no bigger than the stake. Operators had until 31 October 2021 to comply.
• A £5 maximum stake on online slots for all adults went live on 9 April 2025, and a £2 limit for adults aged 18 to 24 on 21 May 2025.
• Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026.

Offshore Licences: Malta, Curaçao, Anjouan and Kahnawake

Many international casinos hold a licence from a smaller jurisdiction. These licences let an operator serve countries without their own licensing system, but none of them makes it legal to offer casino games to US players outside the states that regulate them. Offshore casinos that accept Americans hold no US state licence.

Malta Gaming Authority

The MGA is the most established of the European licensors. A B2C gaming service licence carries a one-time €5,000 application fee and a fixed annual licence fee of €25,000 (€10,000 for operators that only offer controlled skill games), plus a 5% gaming tax and a compliance contribution. For players, note that the MGA’s Player Support Unit stopped ruling on individual disputes on 1 April 2019; complaints now go to an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) body such as eCOGRA.

Curaçao Gaming Authority

A new law replaced Curaçao’s old master licence and sublicence system: the Landsverordening op de kansspelen (LOK), in force from 24 December 2024. The Curaçao Gaming Authority (CGA) now licenses operators directly and publishes its register at cga.cw. Two points matter for players. The CGA does not mediate individual disputes: you complain to the casino first, then to one of the seven ADR bodies the CGA has certified (list dated 31 August 2026). And in September 2026 the CGA confirmed unauthorised access to its online gaming portal on 17 and 22 September; the portal was still offline on 2 October 2026, and the CGA says existing licences remain valid.

Anjouan

Anjouan, an autonomous island of the Union of the Comoros, has become a popular low-cost licensor. Its published fee schedule lists €17,828 for licence issuance and €17,828 for each annual renewal, for both B2C and B2B licences, plus €500 for each extra B2C domain. The authority does not handle player complaints itself. A complaint goes through the casino’s licence seal, the operator has 30 days to respond (14 days for disputes about a game outcome), and unresolved cases go to an ADR service the operator pays for. To check an Anjouan licence, use the seal ID on the casino’s site; a lookup by bare domain always returns INVALID.

Kahnawake Gaming Commission

The Kahnawake Gaming Commission, based in the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawà:ke in Quebec, was founded on 10 June 1996 and has licensed online gaming since 8 July 1999. It publishes a list of its permit holders, which is the first place to check a Kahnawake-licensed casino.

The Application Process, Step by Step

Every regulator asks for the same core material, even though the forms differ.

1. Choose the market. The players you want to serve decide the licence you need, not the other way round. A licence from one country does not authorise you to target another.
2. Set up the company. Most regulators require a local company or a registered presence and named key persons.
3. Prepare ownership and funding evidence. Expect to disclose every significant owner, often down to 10% or less, and to show where the money comes from.
4. Write the policies. Anti-money laundering, responsible gambling, customer verification, complaints and data protection policies are standard requirements.
5. Certify the technology. Games and platforms must be tested by an approved laboratory against the regulator’s technical standards.
6. Submit and pay. File the application with the fee and answer the regulator’s questions during the review.
7. Go live under supervision. Pay the licence fee, start reporting and keep every policy up to date.

The Verdict on Casino Licences

Getting a licence is expensive and slow, and the strict licences cost the most because they protect players the most. A US state licence or a UK licence means a regulator investigates the owners, tests the games and can force a casino to pay a valid win. A cheap offshore licence means far less of that.

For players, the practical lesson is to check before you deposit. Find the regulator and licence number in the casino’s footer, then look it up on the regulator’s own website rather than trusting a badge. Our guide on how to tell if an online casino is worth playing walks through the other checks, and are live casinos rigged? explains how licensed studios are tested. If you are in one of the seven live states, our best live casinos USA page covers the state-licensed options, and the live dealer games hub explains the games those studios run. For the history of how licensing began in Antigua in 1994, see the first online casino.

Responsible Gambling

Licensed casinos must offer tools such as deposit limits, time-outs and self-exclusion. If gambling stops being fun, call, text or chat with the National Problem Gambling Helpline on 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), 24 hours a day. Our responsible gambling page lists more support.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a casino license cost?

It depends on the regulator. Michigan charges an online casino operator a $50,000 application fee, $100,000 when the licence is issued and $50,000 a year after that. Malta charges a €5,000 application fee and a €25,000 annual fee for a B2C licence. Anjouan lists €17,828 for issuance and the same again each year. Pennsylvania’s first online certificates cost $10 million for all three categories.

Can anyone get an online casino license in the US?

No. In the states with legal online casinos, the licence is tied to a land-based casino or tribe. New Jersey’s online casinos run through Atlantic City casino licensees, Pennsylvania issues interactive gaming certificates to its casino licensees and qualified gaming entities, and Michigan allows one internet gaming operator licence per Detroit casino or federally recognised tribe.

How long does it take to get a gambling license?

The UK Gambling Commission says remote operating licence applications can take up to 16 weeks, depending on complexity. US state licensing usually takes longer because regulators investigate the company, its owners and key staff before approval.

What is the cheapest casino license?

Offshore licences cost the least. Anjouan lists €17,828 a year, against tens of thousands of euros a year in Malta and millions of dollars in Pennsylvania. A cheap licence also means weaker player protection: Anjouan’s authority does not handle player complaints itself.

Do casino employees need a license?

Often yes. In New Jersey, the Casino Control Commission licenses casino key employees, including some staff of internet gaming affiliates. The key employee application fee is $750, and the total issuance fee cannot exceed $4,000.

How can I check if an online casino is licensed?

Find the regulator and licence number in the casino’s footer, then check it on the regulator’s own website. In New Jersey, the Division of Gaming Enforcement lists every approved site and says any site not on the list is not approved. For Anjouan licences, check the site’s seal ID rather than the bare domain.

Can I start my own online casino?

Not as a stand-alone operator in the US. There is no federal licence, and in most states with live online casinos the licences are tied to existing land-based casinos or tribes, so new brands usually enter through a partnership and must also be approved by the state regulator. Pennsylvania is a partial exception: certificates its casinos left unclaimed can go to a qualified gaming entity licensed elsewhere. Outside the US, companies apply for a licence in a jurisdiction such as Malta or the UK, or launch on a licensed supplier’s platform. Expect background checks on the owners, proof of funding, tested games and anti-money-laundering controls before you can take a bet.