All Gibraltar Gambling Commission Gaming License Casinos Listed

Gibraltar might seem like a small operator in the gambling field, but the small territory has their own license provider, which grants gaming licenses to many online casinos. Gibraltar belongs to the Great-Britain and it is therefore a highly reputable provider for gaming licenses. Though the Gibraltar Gambling Commission might sound like an exotic license provider, it’s still a very trustworthy operator within the casino field. Just like most gambling authorities, this operator also aims to ensure the safety of online casinos to casino players.

Although gaming companies that operate from Gibraltar, mostly serve British players, Gibraltar still provides some advantages to casino players and operators from other countries too. For instance, online casinos with Gibraltar’s license can provide their players tax-free winnings and they allow players to play with cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoins.

Online gambling in Gibraltar – A short history

Located just outside Iberia, Gibraltar has always been a good business location for offshore operations. Gibraltar has been granting gambling licenses since 1998, but the jurisdiction really became a major license provider in 2005 after it drew up the Gambling Act 2005. The regulations and rules set in this act are still considered the primary regulations for online gaming in Gibraltar today. The official governing body that oversees that the laws are enforced is the Gambling Commissioner, which falls under Gibraltar’s government.

Whilst online gambling legislation in Gibraltar is controlled by the Gambling Commissioner, licenses in the jurisdiction are issued by the Gibraltar Licensing Authority. Along with the Gambling Commissioner, the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association was also established to function as the industry's voice.

Gibraltar rises and falls

Interestingly in 2008, Gibraltar-based gambling kept booming even during the 2008 financial crisis. The thriving economy in Gibraltar came about primarily thanks to a combination of favorable taxation and vat exemption for companies. However, in 2014 this all changed when the UK introduced the UK consumption tax. This meant that online casinos operating in the British markets, including Gibraltar, would now have to pay a 15% tax. Also, gaming licenses from whitelisted jurisdictions would no longer apply to the British market either, and offshore companies would also need to get the UK Gambling Commission gaming license. And Gibraltar was not the only country to be impacted by this because the new law also had big impacts on other gaming centers like the Isle of Man.

However, represented by the Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association, the Iberian peninsula did fight back, claiming that this new tax was illegal. But after the issue was adjudicated in the European Court of Justice, the POC tax was passed. And now, the UK and Gibraltar would be treated as one single entity rather than separate member states. After this decision, many Gibraltar-based gambling operators have chosen to relocate elsewhere.

Gibraltar gaming license requirements & license fees

Many online casinos have chosen to get Gibraltar’s license, and there are several good reasons for doing so. Firstly, the license fees are very low compared to some other gaming licenses. To illustrate, online casinos may obtain a 5-year license for just 30 000 GBP, and casinos must only pay 0.15% of their revenue in taxes as additional annual license fees to the Gibraltar Gambling Commission. Secondly, Gibraltar doesn’t have as stringent requirements for licensees as some other license providers such as the MGA.

However, before applying for Gibraltar’s gaming license, operators need to first choose a license that best fits their operations. Gibraltar actually grants seven different types of gaming licenses to betting operators for different gambling sectors:

1. betting intermediary’s license
2. gaming machine license
3. bookmaker’s license
4. gaming operator’s license
5. lottery promoter’s license
6. pools promoter’s license
7. remote gambling license

Online casino-operators are usually the most interested in applying for the remote gambling license that deals with online gaming. With the remote gambling license, companies can provide such games of chance to players as slots, bingo, blackjack, and roulette. For companies to be eligible to get the license, they must first meet some requirements and present certain documents to the Gibraltar Commissioner.

The basic requirements to get Gibraltar’s license are the following:

• Notarized copies of founder(s) passport(s)
• Bank references from owners
• Notarized copies of utility bills
• Fully detailed business plan
• Details of gaming software platforms and systems used
• Proof that residents of Gibraltar and underaged people cannot gamble in the casino

Gibraltar gaming license fees

Gibraltar is undoubtedly more favorable than many other jurisdictions, but becoming a Gibraltar licensed company is certainly not free either. Betting operators in Gibraltar must pay a yearly fee, which varies a bit depending on the license they hold. We have included a breakdown of these license fees down below.

• Remote Gaming B2C Operator - £100,000
• Remote Betting B2C Operator - £100,000