What a Cyprus gaming licence actually covers

Cyprus licenses one thing in gaming: sports betting. There is no open licence for online casinos, slots or lotteries — those are prohibited, not merely unregulated. If you arrived here looking to license a casino brand, the honest answer up front is that Cyprus cannot give you that, and it is not a structure we build. What Cyprus does offer is a regulated betting regime under the National Betting Authority, plus a single, exclusive land-based casino resort that is not open to new applicants. This page sets out exactly what is on the table, so nobody structures against a licence that does not exist.

The only regulator that matters here: the National Betting Authority

Betting in Cyprus is governed by the Betting Law of 2019, which amended the 2012 law that created the National Betting Authority (NBA). The NBA issues betting licences, inspects premises and operators, and enforces the rules. It licenses two classes and nothing beyond them:

Read the exclusion column carefully — it is where most enquiries end. Class B is an online sports-betting licence. It does not, and cannot, authorise an online casino, a slots platform or a lottery. Operating those from or into Cyprus is an offence under the Betting Law.

What it takes to hold a betting licence

The barrier is capital and compliance, not the application form. An applicant for a Class A or Class B licence needs, as a working baseline:

• Minimum share capital. Issued and paid-up share capital of at least €500,000.
• Bank guarantee. A bank guarantee of €550,000 in favour of the Authority, kept valid after the licence is granted.
• A licensed Cyprus company as the applicant, with fit-and-proper directors and beneficial owners, AML/KYC systems, and a Cyprus-facing operation — the company is set up the same way as any other, through the standard formation process.
• The licence fee itself: €30,000 for a one-year licence or €45,000 for two years, per class. Authorised representatives (agents) are licensed separately at a lower fee.

Licences run for one or two years and are renewable on application, subject to the NBA’s approval. This is a real regulatory relationship with ongoing reporting — not a certificate you file and forget.

How betting is taxed

Betting tax is charged on net proceeds — the stakes a bookmaker takes in, less the winnings it pays out. The structure is:

• 10% betting tax on net proceeds, plus
• a 3% contribution (directed to sports bodies and responsible-gambling initiatives),

for an effective 13% on net gaming revenue. That betting tax is distinct from, and sits on top of, ordinary Cyprus corporate tax on the company’s taxable profit. Model both when you build the numbers — the 13% is not a substitute for corporate tax.

Land-based casinos: one resort, closed regime

Cyprus does have a physical casino — but it is not an open licensing category either. Under the Casino Operations and Control Law of 2015, the Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission awarded a single exclusive licence to develop one integrated casino resort plus a small number of satellite premises. That licence went to one operator (Melco), and the resort — City of Dreams Mediterranean in Limassol — opened in 2023 with market exclusivity for its first years.

The practical consequence: there is no application queue for a Cyprus casino licence. A new investor cannot obtain one, because the regime was designed around a single concession, not a market of licensees.

When Cyprus is the wrong address — said plainly

The honest section, because it saves people money:

• You want an online casino or slots licence. Cyprus does not issue one. Operators typically look to Malta, the Isle of Man, or offshore regimes such as Anjouan or Curaçao. This is not our vertical, and we will not sell you a Cyprus structure that pretends to cover it.
• You want a land-based casino. The market is a single exclusive concession that is already granted. There is nothing to apply for.
• You want horse-race betting. Excluded from both licence classes.
• You actually need a regulated EU financial licence. If your business is trading, brokerage or payments rather than gambling, the Cyprus route is a CySEC investment-firm (forex) licence — a different regulator and a different regime entirely.

Where Cyprus fits is a genuine sports-betting operator that wants an EU-based, regulated licence with a real presence on the island. For that, and only that, the NBA route works.

How we run it

1. Eligibility call first. We confirm your product is licensable in Cyprus at all — if it is casino, slots or lottery, the answer is no, and we say so before any engagement.
2. Company and substance. Incorporation of the applicant company, directors and beneficial-owner file, and the Cyprus operating footprint the NBA expects.
3. Capital and guarantee. Structuring the €500,000 share capital and the €550,000 bank guarantee, and preparing the funding trail.
4. Application and AML file. Assembling the fit-and-proper, AML/KYC and responsible-gambling documentation the Authority reviews.
5. Ongoing compliance. Betting-tax filings, renewals and reporting run alongside the company’s normal accounting and audit cycle.