Cheapest gambling licences in 2026: comparison table
Anjouan is the cheapest recognised online gaming licence in 2026, at roughly €17,800 in the first year with 0% gaming tax. The table below shows the realistic licence cost, three-year total and — crucially — how hard each licence is to bank.
| Jurisdiction | Licence fees (year 1) | Renewal (yr 2+) | ~3-year total | Timeline | Gaming tax | Substance | Banking difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇰🇲 Anjouan | ~€17,800 | ~€15,000 | ~€47,800 | 4–8 weeks | 0% GGR | None required | High |
| 🇨🇦 Tobique | ~€43k–€60k | ~€19,875 | ~€85k–€100k | 4–8 weeks | 0% GGR | Minimal | High |
| 🇨🇦 Kahnawake | USD 40,000 | USD 20,000 | ~USD 80,000 | ~6 months | 0% | Local presence | Medium |
| 🇨🇼 Curaçao | ~€52,000 | ~€47,450 | ~€147,000 | ~3–4 months | 0% GGR + 2% CIT | Local office (2026) | Medium |
| 🇮🇲 Isle of Man | ~£42,000 | ~£36,750 | ~£115,500 | ~10–12 weeks | 0.1–1.5% GGY | Substantial | Low |
| 🇲🇹 Malta | ~€30,000 | ~€25,000 | ~€80,000 | 4–6 months | 5% | Substantial | Low |
Three-year totals are indicative and exclude company formation, compliance and banking setup. Banking difficulty is our advisory assessment of how readily acquirers, EMIs and PSPs onboard each licence.
What “cheap” really means: fee vs total cost of ownership
The advertised licence fee is only 20–40% of what year one actually costs. A realistic budget has four layers, and skipping any of them is why “cheap” applications stall.
- Government / licence fees — the headline number (e.g. ~€17,800 for Anjouan).
- Corporate setup — the licensed operating company plus, in the standard structure, a Cyprus holding/IP company from €749 + VAT.
- Compliance and certification — AML/KYC policy, responsible-gaming policy, RNG/game certification and an MLRO.
- Banking and payments — corporate accounts, EMIs and high-risk PSPs, often with a rolling reserve. See banking and payments for iGaming.
Anjouan — cheapest on paper
Anjouan is the cheapest route to a live, recognised licence: ~€17,800 in year one, ~€15,000 to renew, 0% GGR and 0% corporate tax on offshore income, all verticals under one licence, and no physical-office requirement — typically 4–8 weeks from a complete application.
What the headline figure does not include: due-diligence fees per beneficial owner, the operating company, AML setup, platform certification and — the real constraint — banking. Because Anjouan sits in the offshore tier, banks and PSPs apply enhanced due diligence, and many will only onboard when the licence is paired with a substanced EU company. That is exactly why operators put a Cyprus company above the licence. Full detail: our Anjouan gaming licence guide.