Gibraltar Gaming License
A Gibraltar gaming license authorises remote or non-remote gambling in or from Gibraltar under the Gambling Act 2025, in force since 1 April 2026. The Licensing Authority grants it, the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner supervises it, and every applicant must show economic substance in Gibraltar. Gibraltar licenses established operators, not first-time start-ups.
Key facts
| Regulator | Licensing Authority (the Minister) grants licences; the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner and the Gambling Division supervise |
|---|---|
| Law in force | Gambling Act 2025, in force 1 April 2026; Gambling Act 2005 superseded |
| Licence classes | B2C operator, B2B operator, Gambling Operator Support Services |
| Substance | Statutory test at sections 39 and 40: premises, local jobs, tax contribution, with management and control in or from Gibraltar |
| Application fee | From £30,000 per B2C vertical; B2B from £10,000; support services £8,000 |
| Annual fee | B2C £50,000, £100,000 or £200,000 per vertical by gross yield band; B2B £85,000, £50,000 or £20,000 by tier |
| Gaming duty | 0.15% of gross profit, first £100,000 exempt per category |
| Corporation tax and VAT | 15% corporation tax on Gibraltar-source profit, no VAT |
| Market access | British market retained after Brexit; EU passporting lost |
| Transition deadline | About 1 October 2026 for businesses newly in scope, under Schedule 8 |
Gibraltar hosts bet365, Entain, William Hill, 888/Evoke and the Flutter brands. The jurisdiction sells credibility rather than convenience: tier-1 standing with banks and payment providers, 0.15% gaming duty, no VAT, and a Licensing Authority that has traditionally considered only blue chip companies with a proven track record in gambling elsewhere.
Two things changed the calculation in 2026. The Gambling Act 2025 replaced the Gambling Act 2005, now superseded, and wrote an economic substance test into statute. The United Kingdom raised Remote Gaming Duty to 40% on 1 April 2026, and that duty follows the player, not the licence.
Read this page before you commit budget. It sets out what the new Act changed, who qualifies, what the regulator charges, and where Gibraltar beats Malta and the Isle of Man.
What changed under the Gibraltar Gambling Act 2025?
The Gambling Act 2025 came into force on 1 April 2026 and replaced the Gambling Act 2005, now superseded. Licensing became activity based, three licence classes replaced the single model, a sufficient substantive presence test entered statute at sections 39 and 40, and a Gambling Appeals Tribunal now hears challenges to regulatory decisions.
Licensing follows the activity. Carrying on a regulated activity in or from Gibraltar without a licence or an exemption is an offence.
Support services entered the perimeter. Marketing, affiliate work, customer relationship management, hosting, managed trading and Gibraltar holding entities now sit inside the licensing net.
Economic substance became a precondition. Sections 39 and 40 require a sufficient substantive presence in Gibraltar, applied proportionately to the licence class and the size of the target business.
Management and control in or from Gibraltar sits at the centre of that test. The location of remote gambling equipment in Gibraltar is one factor the Licensing Authority weighs, not the whole of it.
Senior manager accountability arrived. Part 5 creates a regulated individuals regime, a PML-style approval for senior managers modelled on the personal management licence, which is on the statute book but not yet in force.
Enforcement powers grew. The Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner can inspect, impose financial penalties and suspend, and the Gambling Appeals Tribunal hears the challenge.
Transition runs to about 1 October 2026. Schedule 8 gives any business newly caught by the Act a six-month transitional licence from commencement, so newly in-scope suppliers and marketers must file inside that window.
New codes of practice under the 2025 Act have not all been published. The codes made under the old Act keep effect until the Commissioner replaces them, so confirm the current code set with the Gambling Division before you build compliance around it.
Who regulates gambling in Gibraltar?
Two bodies split the work. The Licensing Authority, the Minister with responsibility for gambling, grants and refuses licences. The Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner and the Gambling Division of the Government of Gibraltar supervise licensees, issue codes of practice, run inspections and enforce. The Gambling Appeals Tribunal hears appeals against those decisions.
Three code sets govern day-to-day conduct: a generic code of practice, an anti-money laundering code for the gambling sector, and remote technical and operating standards. Products are tested by approved testing facilities, known as ATFs, before they go live.
Getting the roles right matters in an application. The Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner does not issue your licence, and writing to the wrong office costs weeks.
What licence types exist in Gibraltar?
Three operator classes exist under the Gambling Act 2025: a B2C Gambling Operator's Licence, a B2B Gambling Operator's Licence, and a Gambling Operator Support Services licence. One applicant may hold more than one class. A single licence cannot cover both remote and non-remote gambling, so those sit on separate licences.
| Licence class | What it covers | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| B2C Gambling Operator's Licence | Remote or non-remote gambling with the public: casino, betting, betting exchange and intermediary activity, plus white-label brands inside the licensee's authorised categories | Established, well-funded operators with a track record elsewhere |
| B2B Gambling Operator's Licence | Supplying remote gambling facilities to licence holders: software supply, platform provision, content aggregation, managed trading, and outsourced fraud, CDD or CRM services | Credible suppliers, and the realistic entry point under the 2025 Act |
| Gambling Operator Support Services Licence | Marketing and affiliate services, hosting, a Gibraltar holding entity for gambling carried on elsewhere, and holding or managing customer funds by a non-licensee | Affiliates, marketing hubs and holding structures |
Four rules govern how the classes combine.
A B2C or B2B licence already authorises marketing of that licensee's own products. A separate support services licence covers third-party marketers and affiliates.
White-labelling counts as a B2C activity and sits inside the B2C licensee's authorised categories, so the licensee carries the compliance exposure for the brands it hosts.
B2B pays no gaming duty. Duty falls on B2C only.
A Gibraltar licence is issued to a named licensee and does not travel with a share sale. A change of control of 25% or more of shares or voting power requires prior notification to the Licensing Authority, and a buyer that wants to operate applies in its own name.
Who can get a Gibraltar gaming licence (eligibility and substance)?
Gibraltar licenses selectively. The Licensing Authority has traditionally considered only blue chip companies with a proven track record in gambling in other jurisdictions, though it will also consider appropriately funded start-ups. Every applicant must show economic substance in Gibraltar: premises, local jobs, infrastructure and a tax contribution, with management and control exercised in or from Gibraltar.
The eligibility bar is reputation and money before it is paperwork. Expect the Licensing Authority to look for a licence already held in a reputable jurisdiction, audited financial strength, a realistic business plan, and investment that lands in Gibraltar rather than passing through it.
There is no brass-plate route. A registered office in Gibraltar is mandatory under Schedule 2, and the Licensing Authority weighs the remote gambling equipment sited in Gibraltar, the number and nature of local jobs created, the tax revenue reaching the Government of Gibraltar, and any other factor it considers relevant.
Substance is a recurring cost, not an entry ticket. Losing it is an explicit ground to vary or cancel a licence, and Gibraltar's small labour market makes hiring the practical bottleneck.
How it works
How do you get a Gibraltar gaming licence?
Navigating the gaming license process can be complex. Here's a streamlined guide to each step.
The route runs in five stages: an outline proposal to the Licensing Authority, then an in-principle letter of comfort, then a Gibraltar company with real substance, then a formal application with a three-year business plan, then due diligence, senior manager vetting and product testing before grant. Gibraltar publishes no fixed processing time.
What are the requirements for a Gibraltar gaming licence?
A Gibraltar gaming licence requires nine things: a track record in a reputable jurisdiction, audited financial strength, a three-year business plan, a Gibraltar company with a registered office, real economic substance, management and control in or from Gibraltar, products tested by approved testing facilities, an AML programme meeting the gambling sector code, and responsible gambling tooling.
Corporate and financial. A Gibraltar company, a registered office under Schedule 2, evidence of the funds behind the project, and a business plan with three-year projections. Gibraltar sets no statutory minimum share capital, so the test is appropriate resources for the business you propose, not a fixed number.
Substance. Premises, local hires, infrastructure and a tax contribution, weighed proportionately against the licence class and the size of the target business.
People. Fit and proper testing of the licensee, its directors and controllers at 25% or more, plus senior manager accountability once Part 5 of the Gambling Act 2025 is in force.
Technical. Certification through approved testing facilities against the remote technical and operating standards, covering equipment integrity, the secure siting of remote gambling equipment and software testing.
Compliance. The gambling sector AML code, sanctions screening, self-exclusion facilities, a minimum gambling age of 18, and data protection under Gibraltar's UK-GDPR-equivalent regime.
Personal documents from the beneficial owners sit at the easy end of this list: passport, utility bill, curriculum vitae, and bank and professional reference letters. The work is the substance plan and the business plan, not the document collection.
How much does a Gibraltar gaming licence cost?
Statutory fees start at £30,000 to apply for a B2C vertical and £50,000 a year for that vertical below £20m gross yield, so the statutory floor for one B2C vertical is £80,000 in year one. Gaming duty adds 0.15% of gross profit. Substance and compliance cost more than the fees.
| Fee | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| B2C application, gaming or betting | £30,000 per vertical | Betting and gaming are separate licences, so the fee is charged twice for both |
| B2C application, lottery | £20,000 | Separate B2C category |
| Betting intermediary or agent application | £15,000 | Exchange and agent models |
| Non-remote B2C application | £150,000 | Land-based gambling in Gibraltar |
| B2B application | £20,000 aggregator or platform, £10,000 direct integration | Charged by supply model |
| Support services application | £8,000 | Marketing, affiliates, holding entities, customer fund handling |
| B2C annual fee, per vertical | £50,000 below £20m gross yield, £100,000 from £20m to £300m, £200,000 above £300m | Payable in full by 30 April, no group discount and no instalments |
| B2B annual fee | £85,000 Tier 1 plus £15,000 per extra vertical, £50,000 Tier 2, £20,000 Tier 3 | Tier follows the supply model and scale |
| Gaming duty | 0.15% of gross profit | First £100,000 of gross profit exempt per category, B2C only, paid quarterly |
| Corporation tax | 15% | On Gibraltar-source profit, which includes licensed gaming profit |
Read the annual fee table by vertical, not by company. Betting and gaming are separate licences, so a sportsbook plus casino operator pays the band twice. Annual fees fall due by 30 April and there is no group discount and no instalment plan.
The fees above are set by the Gambling (Duties and Licence Fees) Regulations 2026 and payable to the Government of Gibraltar. The larger number in any Gibraltar budget is substance: office space, local hires, a resident compliance function, testing and legal support. MGL scopes those per engagement and quotes a fixed fee once the structure is set.
What taxes and duties apply to Gibraltar licensees?
Gibraltar taxes lightly. Gaming duty is 0.15% of gross profit with the first £100,000 exempt per category, corporation tax is 15% on Gibraltar-source profit, and there is no VAT, no capital gains tax and no withholding tax on dividends. The heavy layer is the destination market, not Gibraltar.
Gaming duty runs on gross profit, meaning stakes less winnings, not on turnover. Free bets are not deductible, chargebacks are, and returns are quarterly. The 1% of turnover model and the £425,000 annual duty cap both ended in 2018, so any page still promising a cap is out of date.
Corporation tax rose to 15% on 1 July 2024. A licensed operator's gaming profit is treated as Gibraltar-source, so it falls into that 15% regardless of where the players sit. Groups above EUR 750m in revenue also fall inside Pillar Two, where the top-up is usually small because the headline rate is already 15%.
The United Kingdom taxes at the point of consumption, and that is a UK charge, not a Gibraltar one. Remote Gaming Duty rose from 21% to 40% on 1 April 2026 on UK player gross gaming yield, and General Betting Duty is set to rise from 15% to 25% in April 2027. No offshore domicile shelters UK revenue from either.
Run the combined arithmetic before you choose Gibraltar. A UK-facing book pays 40% UK duty, 15% Gibraltar corporation tax and 0.15% Gibraltar gaming duty, and that stack is why several operators moved decision-making to Malta in 2025.
Does a Gibraltar licence give UK and EU market access?
Gibraltar keeps access to the British market after Brexit, which no other offshore jurisdiction can offer, but a Gibraltar licence is not a UK licence: serving British players still requires a Great Britain Gambling Commission licence and GAMSTOP integration. EU passporting is gone. For European players, Malta is the route.
British access rests on the UK-Gibraltar relationship rather than on EU law, and the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner and the Great Britain Gambling Commission cooperate directly. The June 2025 UK-EU treaty on Gibraltar covers the border and the movement of people and goods. It does not restore gambling market access.
The commercial consequence is concentration. Gibraltar's licensed sector is overwhelmingly UK-facing, which is exactly the revenue the 40% Remote Gaming Duty now taxes.
What are the advantages of a Gibraltar gaming licence?
Gibraltar buys credibility. A tier-1 flag opens banking and payment relationships that offshore licences do not, gaming duty is 0.15% of gross profit, corporation tax is 15% with no VAT, and Gibraltar is the only jurisdiction that kept access to the British market after Brexit.
Banking and payments. Gibraltar licensees sit in the premium regulatory band, so banks, payment providers and affiliate networks onboard them more readily than Curacao or Anjouan licensees, and processing fees run well below offshore high-risk rates.
Tax. 0.15% gaming duty on gross profit with the first £100,000 exempt, 15% corporation tax, no VAT, no capital gains tax and no withholding tax on dividends leaving Gibraltar.
Market position. British market access retained post-Brexit, and a licence register populated by operators regulators and banks already recognise.
Predictability. Personal tax caps for relocated executives keep the cost of moving senior people to Gibraltar knowable, and social insurance is negligible.
What are the disadvantages of a Gibraltar gaming licence?
Gibraltar is hard to get and expensive to keep. The Licensing Authority screens for blue chip track record, the substance test forces real premises and local hires, EU access ended with Brexit, and the UK's 40% Remote Gaming Duty now falls on the UK revenue that most Gibraltar licensees depend on.
Selectivity. A first B2C licence is not a realistic target for a start-up or a crypto-first brand. The probity bar is where most applicants fail.
Recurring substance cost. Premises, local hires and a resident compliance function are permanent line items, and losing them is a ground to cancel the licence.
Labour market. Gibraltar is small and expensive, and hiring is usually the slowest part of the build.
Lost EU access. A Gibraltar licence does not passport into the EU or EEA.
UK duty pressure. Remote Gaming Duty at 40% compresses margin on exactly the market Gibraltar is best at reaching.
Transitional complexity. Businesses newly caught by the Gambling Act 2025 have to file inside the six-month window under Schedule 8 while the new codes of practice are still landing.
Why choose MGL Solutions for Gibraltar?
MGL runs Gibraltar applications end to end: substance structuring, the Gibraltar company, the formal application and business plan, senior manager licensing, coordination with approved testing facilities, and the move onto the Gambling Act 2025. MGL has obtained 300+ licences across jurisdictions and will say plainly when Gibraltar is not reachable.
The first job on any Gibraltar enquiry is a reachability check. If the profile does not clear the blue chip bar, MGL says so on the first call and maps the route that does work, whether that is a B2B or support services licence in Gibraltar, Malta for EU access, or the Isle of Man for a reputable mid-tier flag.
How do Gibraltar, Malta and Isle of Man gaming licences compare?
Gibraltar sells credibility with a proportionate statutory substance test and British market access. Malta sells EU access with a heavier tax package. The Isle of Man sells a prescriptive rulebook: two resident directors, servers on the Island, player funds in a Manx bank. Choose by market first, cost second.
| Factor | Gibraltar | Malta | Isle of Man |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regulator | Licensing Authority and Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner | Malta Gaming Authority | Gambling Supervision Commission |
| British market access | Retained after Brexit, with a Great Britain Gambling Commission licence alongside | No | No |
| EU market access | Lost after Brexit | Yes | No |
| Substance required | Heavy, statutory test at sections 39 and 40 | Moderate | Prescriptive: a Manx company, at least two Isle of Man resident directors, a resident Designated Official, player registration and gameplay servers on the Island, and player funds in an Isle of Man bank |
| Gaming tax | 0.15% of gross profit, first £100,000 exempt | 5% on Maltese-player revenue, rising to 15% for Type 1 and 10% for Types 2 to 4 from 1 October 2026 | 1.5% on the first £20m of gambling yield, 0.5% on the next £20m, 0.1% above £40m, charged in tiers; pool betting a flat 15% |
| Corporation tax | 15% | 35% headline, reduced in practice by the refund system | 0% standard rate for resident and non-resident companies, with 10% or 15% only on banking and large retail profits |
| Reputation | Tier-1, selective, blue chip register | Tier-1 and EU-recognised | Tier-1, tightly structured |
| Best when | You need a tier-1 flag and will build real presence in Gibraltar | Your players are in the EU | You want a prescriptive rulebook and a published 10 to 12 week processing time, and you can staff the Island |
Compare the licences on the market you actually want. If your players are in the EU, no amount of Gibraltar credibility substitutes for a Malta Gaming Authority licence. If your book is UK-facing and your balance sheet supports the substance, Gibraltar is the strongest flag available.
Start your Gibraltar assessment. Tell us your target markets, your funding position and your timeline, and MGL will tell you whether Gibraltar is reachable, which licence class fits and what the build costs. If another jurisdiction serves you better, we will say so.
Related jurisdictions
Malta gaming licence: tier-1 standing with EU market access
Isle of Man gaming licence: a prescriptive rulebook and a published 10 to 12 week processing time
Anjouan gambling licence: the fastest route at the lowest entry cost
Gambling licence hub: a comparison across every jurisdiction MGL handles
General information, not legal or tax advice. Gibraltar's fees and duties are set by regulation and can change. Confirm current figures with the Gambling Division and qualified Gibraltar counsel before acting.
FAQ
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Online gambling is legal in Gibraltar and regulated under the Gambling Act 2025, in force since 1 April 2026. The Licensing Authority grants licences and the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner supervises operators. Carrying on gambling in or from Gibraltar without a licence or exemption is an offence.
The Gambling Act 2025 replaced the Gambling Act 2005, now superseded, and came into force on 1 April 2026. Schedule 8 gives businesses newly caught by the wider licensing perimeter a six-month transitional licence, so those applications fall due around 1 October 2026.
A Gibraltar licence is issued to a named licensee and does not transfer with a share sale. Any change of control of 25% or more of shares or voting power requires prior notification to the Licensing Authority, and an incoming operator applies for its own licence.
Gibraltar retained access to the British market after Brexit, alone among offshore jurisdictions. A Gibraltar licence is not a British licence: operators serving Great Britain also hold a Great Britain Gambling Commission licence. EU passporting ended with Brexit.
Gibraltar publishes no fixed processing time for a Gibraltar gaming licence. The Gambling Act 2025 requires a decision as soon as reasonably practicable, and the sequence starts with an outline proposal and an in-principle letter. Application quality and substance readiness drive the timeline.
Gibraltar charges gaming duty of 0.15% of gross profit with the first £100,000 exempt, corporation tax of 15%, and no VAT. UK point-of-consumption duty applies separately to British revenue, with Remote Gaming Duty at 40% since 1 April 2026.
Gibraltar licensees meet the remote technical and operating standards issued by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner, and products are certified by approved testing facilities. The gambling sector anti-money laundering code applies alongside, covering customer due diligence, monitoring and reporting.
The Gambling Appeals Tribunal is the independent body created by the Gambling Act 2025 to hear appeals against decisions of the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner and the Licensing Authority, including refusals, licence conditions, suspensions and financial penalties.
Heading: Gibraltar licenses established operators. Find out if you qualify.
Body: Gibraltar wants a trading record, real substance and management based on the island. Send us your volumes and licences, and we will tell you whether it will take you.
Gibraltar wants a trading record, real substance and management based on the island. Send us your volumes and licences, and we will tell you whether it will take you.