Temporary Gambling License
A temporary gambling license is not one product. The term covers several short-term authorisations, and each one sits on top of a license you already hold. Great Britain, Alderney and several US states each issue a version of it. No regulator sells a short-term operator license to a company that holds nothing.
Compliance burden and risk level are MGL Solutions assessments. Cost Range covers statutory fees only, not an all-in cost.
| Instrument | Jurisdiction | What it covers | Time limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Temporary use notice (TUN) | Great Britain | Equal chance gaming in a competition intended to produce a single, overall winner. Gaming machines excluded. | 21 days per set of premises in any 12 months |
| Occasional use notice (OUN) | Great Britain | Accepting bets on a track that holds no premises license | Eight single days per track per calendar year |
| Temporary eGambling license | Alderney | Short-term Alderney eGambling operation that must convert to a full Alderney eGambling license | 29 consecutive days, or 59 days in total in any six month period |
| Temporary or provisional license | US states | State-level authority to operate while a background investigation runs | Until the state closes the investigation |
What is a temporary gambling license?
The term names a short-term authorisation to run one activity for a fixed number of days. Great Britain, Alderney and several US states each issue a version. Every temporary gambling license rests on a license you already hold, so the phrase describes a category of permissions rather than a single product.
Two conditions run through all four. The authorisation names the activity you may offer, and it expires on a day count fixed in advance.
Regulators grant it on vetting you have already passed. None of the four replaces the background and financial checks behind a full license.
Which temporary gambling licenses actually exist?
Four short-term authorisations cover the markets operators ask about most. Great Britain issues a temporary use notice and an occasional use notice. Alderney issues a Temporary eGambling license. Individual US states grant temporary or provisional authority inside their own licensing process. Each one needs a license, or a filed application, that already exists.
Malta belongs on no such list. The Malta Gaming Authority issues permits for singular events, and those cover low-risk games rather than casino operation. Separately, the MGA gives licensees 90 days to go live after it issues a full license. That 90-day window is where the myth of a "90-day Malta temporary license" comes from.
UK - Temporary Use Notice (TUN)
A temporary use notice lets an operating license holder use premises that carry no premises license. Section 215 of the Gambling Act 2005 limits the notice to activities the holder's operating license already authorises.
The permitted activity is narrow. Regulation 2(2) of the Temporary Use Notices Regulations 2007 allows one thing: equal chance gaming in a competition "intended to produce a single, overall winner". Regulation 2(3) excludes gaming machines. In practice that means poker tournaments.
Section 218 caps the use. A set of premises may not be the subject of temporary use notification for more than 21 days in any 12 months.
Section 219 sets the deadline and the recipients. You give the notice before the period of three months ending with the day before the activity starts. The notice itself goes to the licensing authority under section 219(1), and copies go to the Gambling Commission, the police and HMRC under section 219(4). Section 219(5) requires the notice and every copy to be received within seven days of the date specified in it. Objections run for 14 days under section 221.
UK - Occasional Use Notice (OUN)
An occasional use notice covers betting on a track that holds no premises license. Section 39 of the Gambling Act 2005 lets the track's occupier, or the person responsible for administering events there, give the notice.
Eight notices per track per calendar year is the ceiling. Each notice names a single day, and consecutive days are allowed while the total stays inside eight.
Do not read the two notices as variants of one thing. An occasional use notice covers betting, a temporary use notice covers equal chance gaming, and licensing authorities charge no fee for an occasional use notice. Gaming machines stay outside both.
Alderney - Temporary eGambling license
The Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) issues the Temporary eGambling license under the eGambling Ordinance 2009. The AGCC treats it as carrying "the same obligations and privileges as a full eGambling licence, except as specified by law or regulation". Two day counts govern it: 29 days continuously, or 59 total days of use within any six month period.
Two trigger days matter: the 30th day of continuous use, and the 60th day of aggregated use within any six month period. Either one gives the licensee 42 days to apply for a full Alderney eGambling license.
The fee is GBP 10,000 per calendar year. Reporting is immediate: notify the AGCC no later than one hour after you start operating, and again no later than one hour after you stop.
US - provisional / temporary / interim authority
The United States licenses gambling state by state, and no federal license exists. Several states run a provisional stage inside their own process.
Colorado is the clearest published example. Sports Betting Rule 3 lets the Commission issue a temporary license to anyone applying for a permanent one, and consecutive temporary licenses at its discretion. The temporary license becomes permanent once the Division of Gaming closes the background investigation, unless you hear otherwise.
Pennsylvania ran a comparable window and closed it. The Gaming Control Board's temporary regulations at 58 Pa. Code § 803.1(b) allowed conditional authorisation for interactive gaming operator applicants under temporary regulations that took effect on 6 January 2018 and expired on 6 January 2020, since superseded by the permanent Chapter 803a rules.
People constantly mix up one term. A temporary casino key employee license covers a named individual filling a vacant senior role. The license says nothing about a company's right to run games.
How does a temporary license differ from a full (permanent) license?
The starting point is the real difference. A full license admits a newcomer to a market after full vetting. A short-term authorisation adds a narrow permission on top of vetting you have already passed. Day counts govern it instead of years, and only the US provisional route turns into a full license on its own.
| Feature | Short-term authorisation | Full (permanent) license |
|---|---|---|
| Who may apply | A holder of an existing operating or full license | A new applicant |
| What it authorises | The one activity named in the instrument | The whole activity class of the license |
| Validity | Counted in days, and capped | Counted in years, set by the license class |
| Vetting | Reuses the due diligence behind your existing license | Full background and financial investigation |
| How it ends | Expires, or forces a full application | Renews on the regulator's cycle |
Checks differ in depth, not in kind. Regulators reuse the due diligence behind your existing license, which is why the filing is short.
Scope differs most of all. A full license carries the whole class of activity, while a short-term authorisation carries only the activity written into it.
Who is eligible for a temporary gambling license?
Only an existing license holder qualifies. Section 215 of the Gambling Act 2005 restricts a temporary use notice to the holder of an operating license. The notice covers only what that license authorises. Alderney's short-term route ends in a full Alderney eGambling license application within 42 days. First-time applicants have no way in.
Charity and nonprofit permits sit outside this page. US bingo and raffle permits go to nonprofit organisations under local rules, and they authorise an event rather than an operator.
How do you apply for a temporary gambling license?
Apply per instrument. No single form covers the category, and the body you file with changes with the jurisdiction. Great Britain routes a temporary use notice through the local licensing authority. Alderney routes its Temporary eGambling license through the Gambling Control Commission. US states route provisional authority through the state regulator.
Applying for a UK TUN
File the notice with the licensing authority for the area. Section 219 sets the deadline at the period of three months ending with the day before the activity starts.
Send copies to the Gambling Commission, the police and HMRC, as section 219(4) requires. The seven-day receipt deadline comes from section 219(5), so it applies in every licensing authority area rather than being a Buckinghamshire rule.
Objections run for 14 days from the date the notice is given. A valid objection sends the notice to a hearing.
Applying for an Alderney temporary eGambling license
File with the Alderney Gambling Control Commission under the eGambling Ordinance 2009.
Reporting deadlines are tight. Notify the AGCC no later than one hour after you start operating, and no later than one hour after you stop.
Watch both counters. On the 30th continuous day, or the 60th aggregated day inside any six month period, 42 days remain to apply for a full Alderney eGambling license.
How much does a temporary gambling license cost?
Fees run from under GBP 500 to GBP 10,000 per year, and they are not comparable with each other. Buckinghamshire Council charges GBP 494 for a temporary use notice, and the licensing authority for each area sets its own figure. An occasional use notice carries no fee. Alderney charges GBP 10,000 per calendar year.
| Instrument | Fee | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| UK temporary use notice | GBP 494 at Buckinghamshire Council | The licensing authority for the area |
| UK occasional use notice | No fee | Licensing authorities charge none |
| Alderney Temporary eGambling license | GBP 10,000 per calendar year | Alderney Gambling Control Commission |
| US temporary or provisional license | Varies | Each state regulator |
None of these figures covers the license underneath. Budget a short-term authorisation as an add-on to a license you already pay for, never as an entry price.
How long is a temporary gambling license valid?
Validity is counted in days, and each instrument counts differently. A temporary use notice allows 21 days per set of premises in any 12 months. An occasional use notice allows eight single days per track per calendar year. Alderney allows 29 consecutive days, or 59 days in total in any six month period.
Alderney enforces its ceiling. Cross the 29-day or the 59-day count and 42 days remain to file for a full Alderney eGambling license.
US temporary authority runs on a different clock. In Colorado the temporary license lasts until the Division of Gaming closes the background investigation, and the Commission may issue consecutive temporary licenses.
What are the disadvantages of a temporary gambling license?
Five limits matter. You cannot obtain one without an existing license. Day caps are hard, not indicative. Scope is narrow, and a UK temporary use notice covers only equal chance tournament play. Alderney forces a full application within 42 days. Each instrument binds you to a single jurisdiction.
Payment providers add a sixth limit. Banks and PSPs underwrite the license behind the authorisation, so a short-term permission rarely opens an account on its own.
Why work with MGL Solutions?
MGL Solutions starts by telling you which instrument, if any, fits your case. Most operators who search for a temporary gambling license actually need a full license in a fast jurisdiction. We say so on the first call, not after you pay.
MGL Solutions has obtained 300+ licenses, so we read your target markets against what each regulator actually issues.
Where a short-term authorisation does apply, we file it and run the transition to the full license on the same clock. If none applies, compare the full routes on our gambling license hub.
FAQ
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No. Charity and event permits authorise bingo, raffles or a single event, and local rules usually reserve them for nonprofit organisations. A short-term operator authorisation sits on a commercial license instead. Malta's singular-event permits belong in the first group, because they cover low-risk games rather than casino operation.
No. Section 215 of the Gambling Act 2005 restricts a temporary use notice to operating license holders. Alderney's short-term license ends in a full Alderney eGambling license application within 42 days. US provisional authority sits inside a state application already filed. Unlicensed operators have no short-term route.
Usually yes. State regulators in the United States use temporary, provisional and interim for the same stage, the period before a final licensing decision. One term is different: a temporary casino key employee license covers an individual in a named senior role, not a company's right to operate.
A short-term authorisation carries the territorial limits of the license beneath it. A Great Britain notice covers named premises in Great Britain only. Alderney's license does not open regulated national markets such as Great Britain, Germany or Ontario, where operators need a local license.
No. Each instrument is tied to its own jurisdiction. A temporary use notice covers named premises on named days. Alderney's Temporary eGambling license does not override the licensing rules of the countries your players live in.
Send us your target markets and the license you hold today. We will tell you whether a short-term route exists, or which full license gets you live faster.