What is License costs?
Online gaming license costs range from low five figures (Anjouan) through tens of thousands (Curaçao post-reform) to €200,000+ first-year all-in for an MGA setup - and the license fee itself is usually the smallest line. Company formation, substance, platform certification, and ongoing compliance drive the real budget.
The real cost stack
Every licensing budget has five layers: (1) government fees - application and annual license; (2) corporate - entity formation, registered agent, local directors or substance where required; (3) certification - platform, RNG, and game testing by approved labs; (4) professional fees - application preparation, policies, legal; (5) ongoing compliance - AML officer, reporting, audits, renewals. Marketing quotes usually show layer one; layers two through five are where budgets die. Always price the first two years, not the application.
Ballpark figures by route (first year, all-in)
Anjouan: low five figures - the budget MVP route, 2–5 weeks. Curaçao (CGA regime): mid five figures once local presence, vetting, and platform requirements are included, 4–8 weeks. MGA (Malta B2C): €200,000–300,000+ including €100,000 share capital, Malta substance, certification, and audits, 3–6 months. National licenses in regulated markets (Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, US states) each add six-to-seven-figure market-entry budgets and are priced per market. Figures shift with reforms - treat them as planning magnitudes and confirm current fee schedules before budgeting.
Matching spend to stage
The rational ladder: validate on Anjouan or a white label (five-figure exposure), move to Curaçao when provider and PSP access starts constraining growth, and take MGA or national licenses when European scale or institutional partnerships demand them. Two budget rules from operator experience: payment and banking setup costs (EMI accounts, PSP integrations, reserves) routinely match or exceed the license budget at every tier; and running two licenses in parallel during a migration is normal - budget the overlap, not a clean switch.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest gaming license?
Anjouan is currently the cheapest recognised route - low five figures all-in for the first year, issued in 2–5 weeks. The saving trades against thinner payment options and provider acceptance compared with Curaçao or MGA.
Why do quoted license prices differ so much between providers?
Quotes bundle different scopes: some cover only government fees, others include the company, policies, key-person vetting, and first-year renewals. Compare on total first-year and second-year cost with an itemised scope, never on the headline license fee.