Dominica Gaming License
Dominica licenses offshore internet gaming through the Financial Services Unit, a division of its Ministry of Finance. No dedicated gaming act and no dedicated gaming regulator exist. The Commonwealth of Dominica is a Windward Islands state with its capital at Roseau. Dominica is not the Dominican Republic, which licenses from Santo Domingo.
Key facts
| Regulator | Financial Services Unit (FSU), Ministry of Finance, offshore sub-sector. No dedicated gaming authority. |
|---|---|
| Legal basis | No dedicated gaming act published. The Small Charges Act 1978 does not address online gaming. |
| Scope | Offshore markets only. Dominica residents cannot be served. |
| Licence term | One year is stated outright by licensing sources. The five-year figure is hedged and matches legacy pages. Confirm with the FSU. |
| Company vehicle | Companies Act, Chapter 78:04. The International Business Companies Act 1996 was repealed on 1 January 2022. |
| Capital | USD 500,000 paid-up, including USD 100,000 in Dominican government bonds. Reported by licensing agents. Confirm with the FSU. |
| Application fee | USD 15,000 for the first activity, USD 10,000 for each extra activity. Reported by licensing agents. Confirm with the FSU. |
| Annual fee | USD 75,000 flat, or the greater of USD 50,000 and 5% of gross revenue. Reported by licensing agents. Confirm with the FSU. |
A Dominica gaming licence covers offshore online casino, sportsbook and 800-number operations, administered through the offshore sub-sector of the Financial Services Unit. The holder is a Dominica-registered company that keeps a local agent and a local office.
No separate gaming regulator exists, and no gaming statute has been published. The regime therefore rests on administrative practice inside the offshore financial services perimeter rather than on a dedicated gaming law. Read that as the starting point for every figure on this page.
Who regulates online gaming in Dominica?
The Financial Services Unit, a division of Dominica's Ministry of Finance, regulates gaming companies alongside offshore banks, insurers and money service businesses. Dominica has no dedicated gaming authority and publishes no gaming-specific statute. The Ministry of Finance lists gaming companies among regulated entities. Neither the Ministry nor the FSU publishes gaming licence fees, forms or a public register.
Domestic gambling falls under the Small Charges Act 1978. Receiving a person in any house or place for the purpose of gambling is an offence. Pari-mutuel and pool betting are exempt where the Minister of Finance approves the event. The Dominica National Lottery operates separately under the Lotteries Act, Chapter 20:12.
Neither statute addresses online gaming. The gap between those laws and online play is where the offshore licence sits. Read the Dominica regime as administrative practice, not as a regulated gaming framework.
Who is the Dominica license suitable for?
The Dominica gaming license suits iGaming operators that serve offshore markets only and want a low-cost, low-profile entry point. Operators who need bank and payment provider recognition, or who plan to enter regulated European markets, will find stronger options elsewhere. Serving players resident in Dominica is prohibited under the licence conditions.
A realistic fit looks like this:
Small and mid-size operators testing an offshore market without a tier-1 budget
Operators already structured offshore who want a second licensed entity
Projects where a low public profile matters more than regulator recognition
A poor fit is just as clear. Operators chasing European traffic, tier-1 payment rails or a listing-grade compliance story should look at Curaçao or Malta instead.
What activities does the Dominica license cover?
Three activities sit under the Dominica gaming license: online casino, sportsbook and 800-number wagering, according to licensing agents active in the jurisdiction. The activity is named in the application, and each extra activity carries its own fee. Domestic gambling is separate: casino gambling is illegal in Dominica, and only approved charitable lotteries, pari-mutuel betting and bingo are permitted locally.
Online casino covers slots, table games and live dealer
Sportsbook runs pre-match and in-play wagering
800-number wagering businesses form the third category
That split matters when scoping a project. An offshore licence issued in Roseau carries no right to take a bet from anyone inside Dominica. The domestic exceptions under the Small Charges Act 1978 run through the Minister of Finance, not through the licence.
How it works
How do you get a Dominica gaming license?
Navigating the gaming license process can be complex. Here's a streamlined guide to each step.
Getting a Dominica gaming license runs in four stages: scoping, incorporation, filing and issuance. Scoping fixes the offshore model, and incorporation adds a Dominica company with a local registered agent. Filing goes to the Financial Services Unit with due diligence and testing evidence. Licensing agents report about six months end to end. The FSU does not publish processing times.
What are the requirements to apply?
Applicants need a Dominica-registered company with a Dominican resident registered agent and a local office. Paid-up capital is USD 500,000, of which USD 100,000 sits in Dominican government bonds. The file also covers AML and KYC controls, an independent testing laboratory certificate, and blocks on minors and Dominica residents.
Dominica-registered company under the Companies Act, Chapter 78:04
Dominican resident registered agent and a local office
Paid-up capital of USD 500,000, including USD 100,000 in Dominican government bonds
AML and KYC policies, with beneficial owner and director disclosure
Independent testing laboratory certificate covering game fairness
Technical controls blocking minors and Dominica residents
Annual contribution of at least USD 5,000 to tourism or approved organisations
One correction is worth stating plainly. The bond holding is part of the USD 500,000 capital, not an extra USD 100,000 on top. The instrument is government bonds, not Treasury Bills. Pages that stack the two figures overstate the entry cost by USD 100,000.
How much does a Dominica gaming license cost?
Licensing agents report a USD 15,000 application fee for the first activity and USD 10,000 for each extra one. The annual fee is quoted as USD 75,000 flat, or the greater of USD 50,000 and 5% of gross revenue. The Financial Services Unit publishes no gaming fee schedule, so confirm every figure before you budget.
| Item | Reported amount | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee, first activity | USD 15,000 | Confirm with the FSU |
| Each extra activity | USD 10,000 | Confirm with the FSU |
| Annual fee, flat option | USD 75,000 | Confirm with the FSU |
| Annual fee, revenue option | The greater of USD 50,000 and 5% of gross revenue | Confirm with the FSU |
| Paid-up capital | USD 500,000, including USD 100,000 in Dominican government bonds | Confirm with the FSU |
| Annual tourism contribution | At least USD 5,000 | Confirm with the FSU |
Every amount above comes from licensing agents active in Dominica. Neither the Financial Services Unit nor the Ministry of Finance publishes a gaming fee schedule, a rate card or a licence register. Treat the figures as indicative and get them confirmed in writing. No public source shows a licence issued since the International Business Companies Act was repealed in 2022. Confirm with the FSU that the regime is open before you spend anything.
Renewal cost
Renewal cost tracks the annual fee, plus the tourism contribution of at least USD 5,000 a year. How often renewal falls due is unresolved. Licensing sources state a one-year term, the five-year figure is hedged, and no primary source settles it. Confirm the renewal cycle with the FSU before committing to a Dominica structure.
What taxes apply to a Dominica gaming license?
Dominica charges 25% corporate income tax, 15% VAT and 15% withholding tax on dividends paid to non-residents. Licensing agents describe an exemption from income, withholding and sales tax on the offshore income of licensed gaming companies. That relief is specific to offshore income, so treating Dominica as a no-tax jurisdiction is wrong.
The exemption story also predates a structural change. Repealing the International Business Companies Act removed the vehicle those exemptions were written around. Reporting at the time placed former IBCs into charge to income tax on worldwide income from the end of 2021.
Any operator modelling a Dominica structure should price the corporate tax position with a tax adviser rather than from a licensing page. The headline rates above are the published jurisdiction rates; the offshore relief is a vendor description that no regulator confirms.
What are the advantages of the Dominica gaming license?
Dominica offers tax neutrality on offshore income, as described by licensing agents. The package also includes no exchange control, duty-free import of gaming equipment and a low-barrier niche entry point. The advantages are real but narrow. None of them substitute for the recognition that banks and payment providers look for when they onboard an operator.
Tax neutrality on offshore income, as described by licensing agents
No exchange control on movement of funds
Duty-free import of gaming equipment
Low application fee relative to tier-1 jurisdictions
A quiet, low-visibility jurisdiction with little application queue
What are the disadvantages of the Dominica gaming license?
Dominica has no dedicated gaming act and no dedicated gaming regulator, which leaves the licence resting on a thin legal base. Recognition among banks, payment providers and platform suppliers is weak next to Curaçao or Malta. Markets are limited to offshore players, a local agent and office are mandatory, and the licence term is unclear.
No gaming statute. The Small Charges Act 1978 does not address online play, so the regime is a grey area
Gaming sits inside the offshore financial services perimeter at the FSU, with no gaming authority above it
Fees, forms and the licence register are unpublished, so independent verification is impossible
The International Business Companies Act 1996 was repealed with effect from 1 January 2022, and the vendor descriptions of this licence still assume it
Offshore markets only, with Dominica residents excluded
A Dominican resident registered agent and local office are mandatory
Licence term is reported inconsistently as one year or five years
How does Dominica compare with other offshore gaming licenses?
Dominica sits at the thin end of the offshore range. Anjouan and Curaçao each have a named gaming regulator and a published licence framework; Dominica has neither. Malta gives EU standing at a far higher cost and workload. Operators choosing Dominica are trading recognition for a low profile, not buying a cheaper version of the same thing.
| Dominica | Anjouan | Curacao | Malta | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regulator | FSU, Ministry of Finance. No gaming authority | Anjouan Gaming | Curaçao Gaming Authority | Malta Gaming Authority |
| Legal basis | No gaming act published | Dedicated offshore gaming framework | LOK, in force since 24 December 2024 | Gaming Act and subsidiary legislation |
| Government cost | USD 15,000 application, annual fee from USD 50,000. Industry-reported | From EUR 17,828 government fee | EUR 4,592 application, EUR 47,450 a year B2C | EUR 5,000 application, EUR 25,000 a year B2C plus compliance contribution |
| Recognition with banks and PSPs | Weak | Growing, low cost | Strongest offshore brand | EU tier-1 |
Where Dominica loses is not price. Anjouan costs less to enter and comes with a regulator that answers correspondence, while Curaçao carries the offshore brand that payment providers already recognise. Weigh Dominica against the rest on our gambling license hub before you fix on a jurisdiction.
Why MGL on Dominica
Two things go wrong on Dominica before anyone signs anything. The name gets confused with the Dominican Republic, which runs an entirely different regime from Santo Domingo. And most published guidance still describes the International Business Companies route, which Parliament repealed in 2022.
MGL starts by separating those two, then checks the current status of the regime with the Financial Services Unit. No quote goes out before that check.
If Dominica still fits your markets, we handle the company and the local agent. We prepare the AML file and the independent testing certificate, and structure the offshore side. If Dominica does not fit, we say so and price Anjouan, Curaçao or Malta against the markets you actually want.
MGL has delivered 300+ licences. On a jurisdiction this thin, the useful part of that record is knowing when to talk a client out of it.
FAQ
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No. The Commonwealth of Dominica is a Windward Islands state with its capital at Roseau. The Dominican Republic is a separate country governed from Santo Domingo. Online gambling there runs under Resolution 136-2024, and a Dominican Republic online casino licence costs about USD 346,000.
Online gambling in Dominica sits in a grey area. The Small Charges Act 1978 does not address online play, and no dedicated gaming statute has been published. Offshore operators are licensed on condition that Dominica residents are excluded. No prosecutions of online operators have been reported.
No. The Dominica gaming license is limited to offshore markets. Licence conditions require controls that block access by Dominica residents and by minors. Operators serving the domestic market would fall under the Small Charges Act 1978, which restricts gambling inside Dominica.
Sources disagree. The one-year figure is the better supported: licensing sources state a one-year licence renewed annually, while the five-year term appears only as a hedged claim. The Financial Services Unit publishes no licence register and no stated term. Confirm the validity period with the FSU before applying.
Gaming companies in Dominica fall to the Financial Services Unit, a division of Dominica's Ministry of Finance. Dominica has no dedicated gaming authority. The licence sits inside the offshore financial services perimeter rather than under a gaming regulator.
Yes. A Dominica-registered company is required, together with a Dominican resident registered agent and a local office. The International Business Companies Act 1996 was repealed on 1 January 2022, so companies now register under the Companies Act, Chapter 78:04.
Dominica residents are barred outright. Beyond that, operators apply the restricted-market lists their payment providers and game suppliers impose, and stay out of any market that requires a local licence.
Dominica offers a niche legacy offshore regime with a thin legal base: no dedicated gaming act, no dedicated gaming regulator and no published fee schedule. Banks and payment providers weigh it below Curaçao and Malta. Confirm current licensing status with the FSU before building a plan around it.
Dominica is a legacy offshore option, and the honest version of it is on this page. MGL will confirm current licensing status with the Financial Services Unit and price the alternatives that fit your markets. If Dominica is the wrong call for your project, we will say so plainly.
Send us your target markets and your launch date. We will check the current status of the regime with the Financial Services Unit and price it honestly. If a better fit exists, we will name it.