Panama Gaming Licence Cost & Process (JCJ, 2026)
Panama gaming licence cost under JCJ Resolution 11: B/.50,000 per licence, B/.600,000 in bonds and 10% of gross income paid monthly.
Contents
A Panama (JCJ) gaming licence costs B/.50,000 (US$50,000; the balboa is at par with the dollar) per licence, plus B/.600,000 in bonds and 10% of gross income paid every month. Those figures come from the regulation that governs online gaming in Panama, Resolución No. 11 of 6 March 2020 of the Junta de Control de Juegos. Every operator who asks “what does a Panama gaming license cost” is really asking two questions: what does the regulator charge, and what does it take to run a JCJ-licensed business? In Panama the second answer is dominated by the bonds at the start and the 10% afterwards.
The operators who choose Panama are not chasing the cheapest launch. They want a national Latin-American licence and have the capital to guarantee it. Here is the cost of a Panama online gaming licence in 2026, line by line, with the article of the regulation behind each number.
- The licence fee is B/.50,000 per gaming licence, paid once. Resolution 11 contains no annual renewal fee.
- Two bonds are required: B/.500,000 for compliance, per contract, and B/.100,000 for prize payment, presented every year. They are guarantees, not fees.
- The operator pays the JCJ 10% of gross income (bets minus prizes) within the first 10 calendar days of each month, for players inside or outside Panama.
- The background investigation is charged at cost with no fixed amount, and the operator must keep offices and a call centre in Panama.
What a Panama JCJ licence actually costs in 2026
Start with the instrument, because it explains the fee. An operator does not buy a standalone licence. It signs an administration and operation contract with the JCJ, which the Contraloría General countersigns. Under that contract the JCJ issues gaming licences, one per web domain and never more than five per contract. The B/.50,000 fee is charged per licence: for the first licence once the contract is countersigned, and for each further licence when it is approved.
| Cost line | Resolution 11 figure | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Licence fee (Derecho de Llave, art. 12) | B/.50,000 per licence | One-off, paid to the National Treasury per web domain licensed |
| Compliance bond (art. 13) | B/.500,000 | Per contract, in favour of the JCJ |
| Prize-payment bond (art. 14) | B/.100,000 | Issued by an insurer, presented every year and before operations start |
| Revenue share (art. 15) | 10% of gross income (monthly) | Bets collected minus prizes paid; the dominant ongoing cost |
| Background investigation (art. 5) | At cost, no fixed amount | Run by state security bodies or private agencies, paid by the applicant |
| System and provider registration | B/.1,000 each | Registering the gaming system and the system provider |
| Annual renewal fee | None in the regulation | The yearly recurring items are the prize bond and the 10% |
Read that table the right way and the ranking is clear. The B/.50,000 is the small part. The B/.600,000 in bonds decides whether you can file at all, and the 10% decides whether the numbers work once you trade. For a sense of where Panama sits against the offshore field, our best gambling licences of 2026 roundup frames the trade-offs, and the full requirements sit on our Panama gaming licence requirements guide.
The 10% of gross income — the cost that shapes everything
Offshore permits win headlines on tax because most of them charge 0% on gaming revenue. Panama does not. Article 15 requires every operator to pay the JCJ 10% of its gross income, and the regulation defines gross income as total bets collected minus total prizes paid, which is what the industry calls GGR. Payment is due within the first 10 calendar days of each month. A late payment carries a 1% monthly surcharge, and three months of arrears is a ground for an emergency order or rescission of the contract.
There is no offshore exemption in the text. The regulation treats internet gaming as carried on in or from Panama whether the players are inside or outside the country, so the 10% applies to an internationally-facing book as well.
On a book generating $2 million of annual gross income, the 10% is $200,000 a year, four times the one-off licence fee and paid every year. As revenue grows, the fee stays flat while the 10% scales with your margin. A light offshore regime avoids that maths entirely, which is why the two routes suit different operators.
The B/.50,000 fee is small next to a monthly 10% of gross income on a profitable book. Before you compare Panama to a 0%-GGR offshore permit, run your real revenue projection through that line and compare on that basis. Our KUNAISA vs Panama JCJ comparison sets the light indigenous route against the national licence on exactly this basis.
Bonds and local presence: the year-one cost that isn’t a fee
This is where Panama separates from every offshore permit. Before operating, the holder of a contract lodges a B/.500,000 compliance bond in favour of the JCJ and presents a B/.100,000 prize-payment bond issued by an insurer, which is presented again every year. Bonds are guarantees: you are not paying B/.600,000 to the state, but you do have to secure it, and what the insurer or bank asks for in premium and collateral depends on your balance sheet.
The applicant structure matters here, and it is worth being precise about it. For offshore licences such as Anjouan, Tobique or Tuvalu, the applicant company is typically set up in Costa Rica with no local presence at all. Panama is the opposite: the applicant must be constituted in Panama or registered in Panama’s Public Registry as a foreign company, with a legal representative in the country, and the operator must keep offices and a call centre in Panama. If someone offers you a Panama licence with a foreign shell and no office, they are describing a different jurisdiction.
The JCJ also investigates the applicant. The file covers ten years of personal, criminal, commercial and financial background on directors, officers and key staff, proof of the source of funding, and three years of certified financial statements and tax returns. The regulation charges the cost of that investigation to the applicant and sets no fixed amount. The applicant, or its majority shareholder or President, also needs at least five years’ experience in the gaming industry. On the technical side the gaming system needs a Certificate of Compliance from an entity registered with the JCJ. Our Panama launch checklist sets out the sequence, and the pillar Panama gaming licence guide covers the process.
Local presence keeps costing after go-live. The company, the offices, the call centre, the yearly prize bond and the certification all have to be maintained, alongside the monthly payments to the JCJ. For how those obligations compare with an annually-renewed permit, see our cost, requirements and term breakdown.
Panama vs a flat offshore permit
If offshore licences deliver a live casino for a fraction of the cost and 0% gaming tax, why does anyone pay for Panama? Because they want a licence from a national regulator, which a flat permit can’t give them, and for some operators that is decisive.
| Factor | Panama (JCJ) | Offshore (e.g. Anjouan) |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator fee | B/.50,000 per licence, one-off | ≈€17,828 per year |
| Up-front commitment | B/.650,000 (fee + B/.600,000 in bonds) | ≈€17,828 |
| Gaming tax | 10% of gross income (monthly) | 0% GGR |
| Licence term | None stated in Resolution 11 | Annual |
| Local company & office | Required, with a call centre | Not required |
| Timeline | No deadline in the regulation; months | 4–8 weeks |
| Regulator standing | National authority | Offshore permit |
The pattern is consistent: Panama ties up far more capital, takes 10% of your margin and takes longer, and in exchange it is a licence from a national regulator. An offshore permit is faster, cheaper and tax-free on gaming, but it is a permit rather than a national credential. Neither is “better” in the abstract; they solve different problems. Operators who want Latin-American reach and can fund the bonds lean Panama; operators optimising for speed and the lowest cost start offshore.
Banking follows the same pattern. Mainstream consumer processors, the big names most founders reach for first, prohibit gambling outright regardless of your licence. For a licensed Panama operator we build the payment stack around an EMI or neobank account plus regulated high-risk PSP relationships; the JCJ’s national standing helps those conversations, but the payment stack still has to be built on top of it.
The year-one Panama budget
Add the pieces and the picture is clear. From the regulation alone, a first licence commits B/.650,000: the B/.50,000 fee, the B/.500,000 compliance bond and the B/.100,000 prize-payment bond, with the two bonds being guarantees rather than payments. Each extra domain adds another B/.50,000, up to five licences per contract. On top come the investigation cost, the company, the offices and call centre in Panama, and system certification. From the moment you trade, 10% of gross income goes to the JCJ every month. We quote our own work per case.
That is a materially larger commitment than a flat offshore permit, and for many operators sequencing is the smart answer. A brand can launch on a faster, lighter route, prove the model, and move to Panama when Latin-American reach and a national licence are worth the bonds and the 10%. Because the regulation sets no processing deadline and the route runs through an investigation and a countersigned state contract, Panama has to be planned well ahead and cannot serve as a quick fix.
If a nationally-regulated Latin-American licence is where your brand is heading, we run the whole file, including the Panama company and local presence, the JCJ application and investigation, certification and the banking around it. The government costs and our fee appear as separate lines on the quote. See the full scope on our Panama gaming licence page, then book a free consultation and we’ll model the real year-one economics and the 10% against your plan before you commit a dollar.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Panama (JCJ) gaming licence cost?
Resolution 11 of 2020 sets a fee of B/.50,000 (US$50,000) per gaming licence, paid once. The contract also needs a B/.500,000 compliance bond and a B/.100,000 prize-payment bond, so a first licence commits B/.650,000, of which B/.600,000 is guarantees. From the first month of trading the operator pays the JCJ 10% of gross income. The background investigation is charged to the applicant at cost, with no fixed amount in the regulation.
What is the 10% Panama gaming charge levied on?
On gross income, which the regulation defines as total bets collected minus total prizes paid. It is paid to the JCJ within the first 10 calendar days of each month. Late payment adds a 1% monthly surcharge, and three months of arrears is a ground for an emergency order or rescission of the contract. The regulation counts players inside and outside Panama, so there is no offshore carve-out.
Is there a $40,000 fee, a $20,000 renewal or a seven-year term?
Not in the regulation. Figures such as a $40,000 fee, a $20,000 annual renewal, a $5,000–$10,000 investigation fee or a seven-year term are widely quoted online but do not appear in Resolution 11. The text sets B/.50,000 per licence, two bonds and 10% of gross income. It contains no annual renewal fee and states no term for the contract or the licences.
Do I need a company and office in Panama?
Yes. The applicant company must be constituted in Panama or registered there as a foreign company, with a legal representative in Panama, and the operator must keep offices and a call centre in Panama. This is the opposite of an Anjouan or Tobique setup, where a Costa Rica applicant company with no local presence is enough. The local presence is a real recurring cost.
How long does the JCJ process take?
The regulation sets no processing deadline. The route takes months rather than weeks because it needs a background investigation, a decision of the JCJ's board, a contract countersigned by the Contraloría General and two bonds. Once a licence is issued, the site must start operating within three months. We confirm timing case by case.
Is Panama worth it versus a cheaper offshore permit?
It depends on your goal and your capital. Panama gives you a national licence under a state contract, but you lodge B/.600,000 in bonds, run offices and a call centre in the country and pay 10% of gross income. A flat offshore permit like Anjouan or Tobique launches faster and cheaper with 0% GGR. Many operators start offshore, prove the model, then move to Panama when Latin-American reach justifies the commitment.
Sources
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before acting.
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