How to get a gambling licence in Gibraltar: fees and steps

Gibraltar is mid-way through the biggest change to its gambling law in two decades.

• The Gambling Act 2005 governed the market for ~20 years; it is now replaced by the Gambling Act 2025.
• The Gambling Act 2025 (Act No. 2026-04) received assent on 23 March 2026 and commenced on 1 April 2026 under Notice of Commencement LN.2026/064.
• One block of the new Act is not yet in force: sections 55-77 (Part 5, "Regulated Functions and Regulated Individuals", the personal/management approval regime) await a separate commencement notice.
• Existing licensees are grandfathered; a transition window (roughly April to October 2026) lets current operators keep trading while they re-paper under the new framework.
• The Act sets four statutory regulatory objectives (s.9): confidence in gambling markets; fair, responsible and safer gambling; preventing crime and financial crime; and protecting Gibraltar's public interest and reputation.

Laws that apply

• Gambling Act 2025 (Act No. 2026-04), principal Act; assented 23 March 2026, commenced 1 April 2026 by Notice of Commencement LN.2026/064 (all provisions except ss.55-77)
• Gambling Act 2005, the predecessor regime, replaced by the 2025 Act (transitional grandfathering applies to existing licensees)
• Gambling (Duties and Licensing Fees) Regulations, gaming duty rate/base and licence fees
• Proceeds of Crime Act 2015, AML/CFT primary law
• Gambling Division Codes of Practice and AML Code (Remote), conduct, responsible gambling and AML detail

Two offices share responsibility, both supported by the Gambling Division.

• The Licensing Authority (the Minister with responsibility for gambling) grants, varies and cancels licences.
• The Gambling Commissioner is the day-to-day regulator, responsible for compliance, conduct and enforcement.
• The Commissioner's office and staff are collectively "the Gambling Division" (Act s.10(3)).
• The Division maintains the public Register of licence holders (Act s.14).
• Applications are currently handled by email ([email protected] for licensing; [email protected] for regulatory matters); an online portal is under development.

The 2025 Act moves from product-specific licences to three activity-based operator licences (ss.17, 38).

• A single licence can authorise one or more regulated activities, but it may authorise remote OR non-remote gambling, not both (s.38(3)).
• B2C and B2B licences already permit marketing of the operator's own gambling services (s.38(4)); a separate Support Services licence is for third-party marketing and the other s.17(1)(f) activities.
• The Minister can add, remove or modify regulated activities by regulation (s.17(5)).

Gibraltar licenses reputable operators that will genuinely operate from the Rock. Two statutory gates must both be met.

• Applicants can be an individual, a body corporate, a partnership or an unincorporated association (s.35).
• Gate 1, the "threshold conditions" (s.36 and Schedule 2): the fit-and-proper test, covering integrity, competence, financial soundness and suitability of the entity and its controllers.
• Gate 2, "sufficient substantive presence" in Gibraltar (ss.39-40): the Authority weighs the nature and use of gambling equipment located in Gibraltar, the number and nature of local jobs, the tax revenue that will accrue, and any other factors it considers relevant.
• Policy in practice: the Authority traditionally licenses "blue chip companies with a proven track record", but also considers appropriately funded start-ups and expanding operations.
• Control over licensees is actively supervised: acquisitions of control, ownership-structure and director changes must be notified (Act Part 6).

Gibraltar's appeal is a very light tax base carried mostly by fixed annual fees.

• The 0.15% duty applies to a B2C operator's gross gaming/betting yield; the first GBP 100,000 of annual GGY is exempt.
• Some older trade sources quote a GBP 425,000 annual duty cap, which reflects the superseded 1% regime and is not confirmed for the current 0.15% basis; treat with caution.
• Corporate tax rose to 15% with effect from 1 July 2024 (previously 12.5%); gaming companies pay the standard rate.
• Gibraltar also enacted a Global Minimum Tax Act 2024 (OECD Pillar Two domestic top-up) relevant to large in-scope groups.

Anti-money-laundering compliance is built on the Proceeds of Crime Act 2015 plus the Division's AML Code.

• Licensees must comply with the Proceeds of Crime Act 2015 (POCA) at all times; "money laundering", "terrorist financing" and "proliferation" take their POCA 2015 meanings.
• The Gambling Division issues an AML Code (Remote), updated for 2026, which operators must follow.
• Appoint a Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO) and implement risk-based customer due diligence, ongoing monitoring and suspicious-activity reporting.
• AML/CFT performance is an explicit consideration in licensing and in the Codes of Practice (Act references to POCA 2015 compliance).

Consumer protection duties sit in the Codes of Practice and the statutory objectives.

• Minimum gambling age is 18.
• Operators must offer self-exclusion facilities and implement customer self-exclusion requests as soon as practicable, and block re-registration with the same/similar details.
• There is no single domestic national self-exclusion register equivalent to the UK GAMSTOP; UK-facing Gibraltar brands participate in GAMSTOP through their UK Gambling Commission licence.
• Industry funds the Gibraltar Gambling Care Foundation and a University Centre of Excellence for Responsible Gambling; problem-gambling training is expected for operator staff.
• The regulatory objectives require gambling that is "fair, responsible and safer for consumers" (Act s.9).

The 2025 Act makes third-party gambling marketing a licensable activity in its own right.

• Non-exempt advertising or marketing of gambling is a regulated activity under s.17(1)(f), requiring a Gambling Operator Support Services licence.
• "Exempt advertising or marketing" (s.18) carves out ordinary publishing/broadcasting media whose audience is not primarily targeted, and intra-group arrangements.
• A B2C or B2B operator licence already authorises marketing of that operator's own gambling services (s.38(4)).
• Content standards (fairness, no targeting of minors or vulnerable groups) are enforced through the Division's Codes of Practice.

Gibraltar's biggest single market is the UK, and that access survived Brexit, but on conditions.

• Through the UK-Gibraltar Joint Ministerial Committee, Gibraltar retains guaranteed access to the UK gambling market post-Brexit, the reason so many UK-facing brands are based there.
• This gambling access is distinct from the financial-services "Gibraltar Authorisation Regime (GAR)", which covers banks, payment and e-money firms (transitional arrangements extended to 31 December 2026).
• UK-facing operators are dual-regulated: they must also hold a UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) licence and comply with UK rules for British customers.
• Time-sensitive: the UK increased Remote Gaming Duty from 21% to 40% with effect from 1 April 2026, materially raising costs for Gibraltar-based operators serving UK players.

The Commissioner has broad investigatory and enforcement powers, and licensees carry continuing duties.

• The Commissioner can require documents and information, carry out on-site inspections, enter premises under warrant and commission skilled-persons' reports (Act Part 7).
• The Authority/Commissioner can impose licence requirements, vary or cancel licences on their own initiative, and apply to the Supreme Court for asset-protection orders (ss.43-45).
• Changes of control, ownership structure, domicile and directors of licensees must be notified (Part 6).
• Penalties for contraventions are set by regulation (s.157); false claims to be licensed and breaches of licence are offences.
• Licences run ~5 years and must be renewed subject to a compliance review; annual licence fees and gaming-duty returns are continuing obligations.

A small jurisdiction where gambling is a strategic industry, not a mass-market registry.

• Gaming is estimated at roughly a quarter to a third of Gibraltar's GDP and employs several thousand people.
• The licensee base is a stable roster of major operators (order of a few dozen licences across B2C and B2B) rather than hundreds of small entrants.
• Notable licensees include bet365, Entain (Ladbrokes/Coral), Betfred, 888/William Hill (evoke) and BetVictor.
• Exact licensee counts vary by source and by how B2C, B2B and support licences are counted; confirm the current Register before quoting a number.

A realistic path to a Gibraltar operator licence. Gibraltar screens hard on reputation and substance, so front-load the entity, presence and compliance work before applying.

1. 01

   Confirm you clear the reputational bar

   Pre-check

   Establish that your group is an established, well-funded operator (or a credibly funded start-up) with a clean regulatory history. The Licensing Authority favours proven operators; a weak track record will not pass the threshold conditions.

2. 02

   Incorporate or register a Gibraltar entity

   Entity

   Set up the Gibraltar company (or register the partnership/association) that will hold the licence. Applicants under s.35 must be a proper legal person; the licensee needs to be the entity that will actually run the operation.

3. 03

   Build genuine substantive presence

   Substance

   Secure a real Gibraltar office, recruit or relocate senior/key staff locally, and plan for key gambling equipment to be located or controlled in Gibraltar. This directly feeds the ss.39-40 "sufficient substantive presence" assessment (equipment, local jobs, tax accruing).

4. 04

   Map your activities to the correct licence class

   Scoping

   Decide whether you need a B2C Gambling Operator, a B2B Gambling Operator, and/or a Gambling Operator Support Services licence (s.17). Remember a licence covers remote OR non-remote, not both (s.38(3)).

5. 05

   Assemble fit-and-proper (threshold conditions) evidence

   Due diligence pack

   Prepare integrity, competence and probity evidence for the entity, its beneficial owners, directors and key persons against Schedule 2 (s.36). Include group structure charts, ownership (note the 25% "Relevant Owner" threshold), and personal disclosures.

6. 06

   Prepare business plan, financials and source of funds

   Financial soundness

   Produce a business plan, financial projections, evidence of adequate funding and clean source-of-funds documentation. Financial soundness is part of the threshold conditions.

7. 07

   Stand up your AML/CFT framework

   Compliance

   Appoint an MLRO, write risk-based CDD, monitoring and reporting policies compliant with the Proceeds of Crime Act 2015, and adopt the Gambling Division AML Code (Remote) 2026.

8. 08

   Build player-protection and technical controls

   Systems

   Implement self-exclusion, responsible-gambling tools, age verification (18+), geolocation and game/RNG integrity controls, plus segregation of customer funds. Align to the Division Codes of Practice.

9. 09

   Submit an expression of interest / application to the Gambling Division

   Apply

   Approach the Licensing Authority via [email protected] with your application under Part 4. Expect a pre-licensing engagement stage before the formal application is accepted as complete.

10. 10

    Pay staged fees and answer the Authority's queries

    Fees

    Pay application fees (typically in two stages, part at pre-licensing, part on formal submission) and respond promptly to information requests. Budget for the annual licence fee (~GBP 85,000-100,000 per licence) on grant.

11. 11

    Complete the fit-and-proper and substance assessment

    Assessment

    The Authority (with the Commissioner) assesses threshold conditions and substantive presence, may interview key persons, and can impose licence-specific requirements before granting (ss.37, 39, 43).

12. 12

    On grant, go live and maintain compliance (and add UK cover if needed)

    Post-licence

    After grant, file gaming-duty returns (0.15% of GGY), pay annual fees, notify any control/ownership/director changes (Part 6), and renew after ~5 years. If serving UK customers, separately obtain a UKGC licence and pay UK Remote Gaming Duty (40% from 1 April 2026).

Tier-ordered: official government first, then practitioner, then trade media. Every primary figure was read from the in-force text on 24 Jul 2026.