Who This Is For
We form and license online casinos running slots and live dealer; sportsbooks and betting exchanges; poker rooms and peer-to-peer platforms; lottery and bingo operators; crypto-casinos settling play in digital assets; and the business-to-business (B2B) layer behind them, including game studios, platform and aggregator providers, and remote gaming software suppliers that need their own authorisation to plug into licensed operators.
Most operators we take on arrive with the same problem: a product, a market and capital, but no clear answer on which gambling regulator will license what they are building, what entity sits underneath it, and how they keep money moving once the licence is live. They have usually been promised a licence by a shop that then hands the file to an unknown third party, or turned away by a bank the moment the word gambling appeared. We file the gambling licence ourselves and stand behind it, and we plan the banking layer around the licence rather than leaving it to chance.
We are direct about one point from the first call: we do not act for operators targeting United States players, and we do not advise US persons. Every licence we deliver geo-blocks the markets it must, the US included, and we will tell you plainly which markets a given route can and cannot serve before you commit a euro.
What an iGaming Operator Actually Needs
A gambling build rests on four things. We deliver the first three directly and plan the fourth around them: a gambling licence matched to your activity and markets, a regulated operating entity in the licensing jurisdiction, an AML and player-protection framework that survives a regulator’s reading, and a banking and payments layer that keeps deposits and payouts flowing. Skip one and the launch stalls; sequence them wrongly and you pay for the entity twice.
The licence is the gate, and it has to match what you run. A casino licence does not cover a sportsbook, a business-to-consumer licence does not cover B2B software supply, and most regulators split the permission by game type. We map your product to the right licence class first, because the wrong class means a refusal or a costly variation later.
The operating entity is the licence’s foundation. Regulators license a company, not a person, and that company has to be incorporated in the licensing jurisdiction with the directors, registered seat and, in several cases, local key persons and in-territory hosting the regime demands. We form it and build the substance so the application is never held up by a half-built structure.
The AML and player-protection framework is permanent, not a one-time filing. Gambling carries some of the heaviest obligations of any vertical: know-your-customer (KYC) and source-of-funds checks, transaction monitoring, responsible-gambling tooling such as deposit limits and self-exclusion, and game and random-number-generator (RNG) certification. We build these into the application so they are live on day one. The banking and payments layer is the constraint we plan around: gambling is a high-risk category for banks and card schemes, so the settlement and card-acquiring stack is designed alongside the licence and follows once it is in hand.
Choosing the Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction choice sets your cost, timeline, market reach and how your payment and B2B partners see you. We deliver gambling licences in five, and we choose between them on your behalf against the markets you want to serve, the substance you can carry, and the credibility your model needs. See the gambling licensing hub for the full picture; the short version follows.
Anjouan is the fastest and most cost-efficient credible route for a web-only operator. The Anjouan Offshore Finance Authority licence covers casino, sportsbook, lottery and crypto-gaming on a single permission, carries no gaming tax, and requires geo-blocking of restricted markets including the United States. It suits a launching operator who wants to be live quickly without the substance burden of an onshore regime.
Tobique is the other lean offshore route we deliver, a First Nation gaming authorisation covering casino, sportsbook and crypto-gaming on a single licence with a light substance profile and a quick path to live. It is a strong fit for crypto-casinos and start-up sportsbooks that want a recognised seat without EU or Crown Dependency cost.
Curaçao suits operators who want an established offshore name under its reformed regime. The Landsverordening op de Kansspelen replaced the old master-and-sublicence model, and operators now apply directly to the Curaçao Gaming Authority, with achievable substance: a local company, a resident managing director, a statutory seat on the island and certified hosting. It is the middle ground between Anjouan and a Crown Dependency.
Isle of Man carries the most institutional credibility of the five. The Gambling Supervision Commission licenses casino, sportsbook, network-services and B2B activity to a high standard, with a robust fit-and-proper and player-protection review and a tax-efficient onshore base. It is the route when you need the strongest reputational footing for banking, listing or acquisition and can carry the substance and longer review that come with it.
Kahnawake gives a Mohawk Territory corporate seat with North-American-adjacent recognition and a long track record in online gaming. Servers must be hosted inside the territory, and the licence does not permit US-facing operations. It suits operators wanting a recognised non-EU seat with more standing than a pure offshore licence.
We will not point you at a route that cannot serve your markets or that your partners will reject. If your model fits only one of the five, or none as you have described it, we will tell you before you spend on an entity you cannot use.
We Form the Company
Formation comes first because the licence cannot move without it. We incorporate the operating entity in the licensing jurisdiction, structure the share capital, directors and shareholders around the gambling regime, and build the substance the gaming authority expects. This is our work end to end, not a referral to a registered agent you never speak to.
The right vehicle and substance differ sharply by jurisdiction. Anjouan and Tobique use an offshore company with a light physical-presence test, which is what makes them quick. Curaçao requires a local company with a statutory seat on the island, a resident managing director and certified in-territory hosting. The Isle of Man and Kahnawake each apply their own companies law, Kahnawake requiring servers hosted inside the territory and the Isle of Man expecting demonstrable management substance. We know the correct vehicle for each and form it right the first time, so the entity is never the reason the application slips.
Directors and key persons are the recurring trap. Gambling regulators apply fit-and-proper assessment to qualifying shareholders, directors and key persons, and a board or money-laundering reporting officer that does not survive that scrutiny costs more time than any technical gap. We structure the board around the regime, prepare the fit-and-proper file before filing, and pre-clear the parent structure where the regulator will look through to an indirect owner. For B2B suppliers and multi-vertical operators we keep it clean: an operating entity with a single holding layer above it and real substance in both, rather than a stack that triggers a regulator-led redesign mid-application.
Where in-country capacity is needed, we deliver through a controlled network of vetted lawyers, accountants and licensed corporate-service specialists we work with directly, never an unverified third party. See the company formation hub for the entity-level detail behind every jurisdiction.
We File the Licence
A gambling operator needs a licence matched to the activity and the markets, issued by a recognised gaming authority, not a generic permission. We draft the application, build the supporting governance and player-protection file, file it, and deal with the regulator directly through to grant. We deliver gambling licences in Anjouan, Curaçao, the Isle of Man, Kahnawake and Tobique.
The application file is where projects succeed or fail, and it is rarely the technology that sinks them. Gaming regulators want to see who controls the operator, how it will keep dirty money out and vulnerable players safe, and that the games are fair. That means a fit-and-proper case for every qualifying owner and director, a written AML and counter-terrorist-financing programme with a competent reporting officer behind it, responsible-gambling controls including deposit limits, reality checks and self-exclusion, and certification of the RNG and game suite. We assemble all of it before we file, because a file read once and approved is worth far more than one filed early and bounced back.
The licence class has to match the product. A business-to-consumer casino licence, a sportsbook permission, a peer-to-peer and exchange permission and a B2B software-supply authorisation are distinct, and most of our jurisdictions split them. We file for the classes you actually need, so you are not later running an activity your licence does not cover. For operators combining gaming with crypto settlement we account for the crypto-asset layer in the licence design and point you to the crypto licensing hub where a separate authorisation is in play.
In our experience, applications fail most often on the governance file, not the game file. A reporting officer who cannot articulate the operator’s risk appetite in the regulator’s vocabulary, or a board that does not survive fit-and-proper scrutiny, costs more time than any integration issue. We build the governance case before we file, and we field the regulator’s questions ourselves rather than passing them back to you.
Banking and Payments
Banking and payments are a core service for us, alongside formation and licensing. Banking and card processing run in step with the licence because a licensed operator with no working account is dark from day one. Mainstream banks decline gambling for structural reasons: it is a high-risk category for chargeback, fraud and AML exposure, and providers drop the whole category rather than assess the individual operator. The practical effect is that a licensed electronic money institution, not a traditional credit institution, is usually the realistic primary route for deposit-and-payout volume, with a credit institution reserved for the treasury layer.
The answer to provider exits is redundancy. We plan for more than one banking relationship, a card acquirer, and an alternative-rails channel such as account-to-account or a stablecoin off-ramp, so no single provider decision can take the operator offline. Card acquiring is tied to the schemes’ chargeback thresholds, so chargeback-management tooling has to be in place before card processing goes live, not after. We never name a specific bank or payment provider here, by commercial choice, and we discuss the realistic options with you directly once we know your jurisdiction, volumes and settlement currencies.
Ongoing Compliance
A gambling licence is a permanent operating commitment, not a one-time grant, and we build the compliance function into the application rather than leave you to retrofit it. The perimeter runs across AML and counter-terrorist-financing obligations, responsible-gambling duties, game and RNG integrity, and ongoing reporting to the gaming authority.
The AML obligation is the heaviest. Each regulator expects KYC and enhanced due diligence calibrated to its rules, source-of-funds checks above defined thresholds, transaction monitoring tuned to gaming patterns, and a competent money-laundering reporting officer who owns the programme. EU-facing operators also track the EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA), operational in Frankfurt since 1 July 2025, and the single AML rulebook that follows it, which is why we frame the programme to be ready before the regime bites.
Responsible gambling separates a credible operator from one the regulator pulls. Deposit, loss and session limits, reality checks, time-outs, self-exclusion and links to player-support services are expected as standard, and the Isle of Man reviews them closely. Game and RNG certification by an accredited test house and ongoing audit of the live environment sit alongside this; operators running crypto settlement also fall within crypto-asset transfer rules, which we account for in the licence design. We size the compliance function so it survives the regulator’s first review, are straight with you about the recurring cost, and keep annual returns, audits and key-person obligations on the calendar so the licence does not lapse on a missed filing.
Realistic Timeline
The realistic end-to-end timeline from formation to operational launch is roughly four to ten months for a web-only offshore build in Anjouan or Tobique, a similar band for Curaçao and Kahnawake with more substance to stand up, and longer for the Isle of Man, where the fit-and-proper and player-protection review is more demanding. The variance is driven by the jurisdiction, your business model and how clean the fit-and-proper file is, far more than by the regulator’s own pace. Costs depend on the same factors, so we quote them once we understand what you are building. Book a free consultation and we will scope it.
End-to-End Timeline
| Phase | Timeline | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Company formation | 1 to 4 weeks | We incorporate the operating entity in the licensing jurisdiction and build the substance the gaming authority expects |
| Licence application drafting and filing | 4 to 12 weeks drafting; regulator review varies by jurisdiction | We draft, file and shepherd the gambling licence application and deal with the regulator directly |
| Banking and payments | Placement in parallel, once the licence is in hand | We plan the settlement, payout and card-acquiring layer around the licence with redundancy built in |
| Pre-launch readiness | 2 to 6 weeks | Governance sign-off, reporting-officer induction, KYC and responsible-gambling tooling, RNG and game certification |
| Total to operational launch | 4 to 12 months realistic | One accountable firm across the whole build |
What compresses the timeline: a clean fit-and-proper file for directors and substantial shareholders, pre-drafted AML and responsible-gambling documentation, a parent structure pre-cleared with the regulator, and a jurisdiction matched honestly to your markets. What expands it: regulator backlog, a holding structure the regulator decides to look through, a reporting officer appointed late, and certification left to the end. We manage every one of these for you, which is the difference between a file that sails through and one that stalls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which gambling licence should an online casino or sportsbook actually apply for?
It depends on your target markets, your budget for substance and how much regulatory credibility your payment and B2B partners demand. We deliver gambling licences in Anjouan, Curaçao, the Isle of Man, Kahnawake and Tobique. Anjouan and Tobique are the fastest and most cost-efficient routes for a web-only operator serving permitted markets; Curaçao suits operators wanting an established offshore name under its reformed regime; the Isle of Man carries the most institutional credibility; Kahnawake gives a North-American-adjacent seat. We assess your model against all five and tell you which one fits before you commit capital.
Do I need a separate company in the licensing jurisdiction?
Yes. Every gambling regulator licenses an operating entity, not an individual, and that entity has to be incorporated in the licensing jurisdiction with the substance the regulator expects: directors, a registered seat, and in several cases local key persons and in-territory server hosting. We form that company as part of the engagement, structure the share capital and board around the licensing regime, and build the substance so the application is not held up by a half-built entity.
Why do gambling operators struggle with banking and card payments, and can you help?
Gambling is a high-risk category for banks and card schemes because of elevated chargeback, fraud and AML exposure, so mainstream providers decline it on a category basis. Banking and payments are a core service for us: once the licence is in hand we plan the settlement and payout layer around it, build redundancy across more than one provider, and put chargeback tooling in place before card processing goes live. We never name a specific bank or payment provider, and we discuss the realistic options with you directly.
How long does it take to go live with a gambling licence?
For a web-only offshore build in Anjouan or Tobique, realistic end-to-end timing from formation to operational launch is roughly four to ten months. Curaçao and Kahnawake sit in a similar band with more substance to build, and the Isle of Man runs longer because the fit-and-proper and player-protection review is more demanding. The variance is driven by the jurisdiction, your business model and how clean the fit-and-proper file is, far more than by the regulator’s own pace. We sequence formation, licensing and the banking layer so they run in parallel rather than one after another.
How does Tomberg & Partners deliver an iGaming formation and licensing project?
We deliver it directly. We form the operating entity in the licensing jurisdiction, build the governance, AML and player-protection framework the regulator expects, draft and file the gambling licence application, and deal with the regulator on your behalf. Where in-country work is needed, we use vetted lawyers, accountants and licensed specialists we work with directly, never an unverified third party. You deal with one accountable firm from the first decision to the live licence. For a scope and quote, book a free consultation.
Plan Your iGaming Launch
We form, license and stand behind gambling builds for online casinos, sportsbooks, poker, lottery and B2B gaming suppliers. One accountable firm, real specialists in-country, and a file that holds up the first time the gaming regulator reads it. Tell us what you are launching.
Banking & Payments
A company and a licence still need a bank account
Banking is one of our three core services. We help high-risk and regulated businesses open the bank and payment accounts that others refuse: we work directly with EU EMIs, payment institutions and crypto-aware banks, confirm appetite before you apply, and make the introduction. Take it with your company and licence, or on its own.
Related Services
- Gambling & iGaming Licensing: Anjouan, Curaçao, Isle of Man, Kahnawake, Tobique
- Company Formation: operating entities in the licensing jurisdiction, formed by us
- High-Risk Businesses: the broader formation and licensing picture for operators others decline
- High-Risk Banking: the banking and payments layer for gaming operators
- Crypto-Fiat Settlement: settlement rails for crypto-casinos and digital-asset gaming