OBTAINING POKER LICENSES

OBTAINING POKER LICENSES

To operate, a poker room needs to obtain a gambling license. This can not be done everywhere, and the conditions in different countries are different.

Without a license, a poker room will not be able to operate in countries where it is legal. Let’s move on to the main regulators to understand what kind of licenses an online poker club can get.

Issuance of licenses to poker rooms

This activity is carried out by regulatory organizers. They are usually found on the islands and their main advantage is low taxes. The player also has an advantage, for example, if disputes arise. With regulators, you can resolve conflict situations in poker rooms.

UK Gambling Commission

The GC (Gambling Commission ) appeared in 2007 and has been regulating the gambling business in England ever since. In recent years, the regulator has created an advanced and well-structured set of requirements and conditions for poker clubs and online casinos.

An entrepreneur can obtain one of more than 10 gambling-related licenses. The price of the document depends on the annual turnover of the poker room and ranges from £1,000 to £1,000,000.

Most UK poker rooms have GC licenses. A classic example is Coral Poker.

Gambling Supervision Commission (Isle of Man)

GSC is the old financial commission that also governs online poker. Appeared in 1962, in 2001 created a set of laws regarding online gambling.

How much does a GSC license cost :

• 1 500 USD – application to GSC.
• 7,000 USD – registration of an application for a document.
• 50,000 USD is a mandatory annual payment.
• 1–1.5% is the level of taxes, it depends on profit.

Typically, firms ask for large sums of 150,000 USD for assistance in obtaining a GSC license. This cost is clearly overpriced.

Gaming Auditor Malta

MGA (Malta Gaming Authority ) is a European auditor.

MGA cost :

• 2 300 EUR – appeal to the regulator.
• 25 000 EUR – registration of an application for an MGA license.
• 1 500 EUR – the cost of the renewal.
• 4–1.25% – taxation, which depends on income.

This permission is often issued by rooms that operate in the Eurozone, it is much more affordable and costs less than GSC.

License in Gibraltar

The Gibraltar Regulatory Authority document is about how GSC works with the British auditor. A license can be obtained immediately for all types of gambling businesses, so holdings like 888 and Pati strive to get it.

The license costs £2,000. The tax is fixed – 1%, depending on the annual income. The minimum tax amount is £85,000, the maximum is £425,000.

Jurisdiction of Curacao

Online poker establishments most often seek to obtain exactly the document of this jurisdiction. The Curacao eGaming license is cheap and requires minimal reporting from the entrepreneur. There is also a low tax rate of 2% on profits. A businessman pays only income tax, not a percentage of turnover. The same applies to other fees.

The regulator is located on islands in the Caribbean.

License cost:

1 000 EUR – appeal to the regulator.

EUR 4,500–12,000 – application for a document.

250 EUR – annual license renewal.

0.4–1.25% – poker room income tax.

Findings

Summing up, we can say that poker rooms get more licenses for the prestige and trust of the players. In 2023, permits from Curacao are the most popular, but in fact, they are obtained due to the ease of application and low price. The more honestly a poker room conducts its activities, the more expensive and authoritative license it can get.