Lifecycle · Renewal & maintenance
Gaming Licence Renewal
Getting the licence is a project. Keeping it is a calendar. Most licences are not lost to scandal — they lapse because a fee went unpaid, a UBO changed without notice, or an audit was filed late.
overview
What a licence renewal actually involves
A gaming or crypto licence is not a certificate you file away. It is a continuing permission, conditional on you still being the operator the regulator approved — same owners, same funding, same controls, fees paid, reports filed. Renewal is the point at which the regulator checks that all of it is still true.
The mechanics vary. Most offshore regimes run an annual cycle: pay the fee, refile the compliance pack, confirm nothing material has changed. Curaçao under the LOK framework has no fixed annual expiry at all — the licence stays valid while you remain compliant and keep paying, which sounds easier and in practice means the compliance obligation never has a deadline to focus the mind. Tier-1 regimes layer audited accounts, player-fund reconciliation and named-officer confirmations on top.
What almost never happens is a licence lost for something dramatic. What happens is a missed date, an unnotified change of ownership, an annual fee that bounced because the merchant account moved, or an AML audit nobody scheduled. Every one of those is avoidable with a calendar and someone who owns it.
your options
The three ways renewals go wrong
Renewal windows open 60–90 days out and close hard. With no single owner internally, the file gets started in the final fortnight — and any regulator query at that point means an expiry you cannot argue with.
Ownership moved, a director resigned, funding came from a new source. Regulators find out at renewal, and an undeclared change reads as concealment even when it was an oversight.
Renewal asks for AML testing, player-fund reconciliation and RG reporting for a period that has already passed. You cannot retro-fit records — the file either exists or the answer is no.
head to head
How renewal works across the regimes we run
| Regime | Cycle | Annual fee | What renewal asks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anjouan | Annual | from €17,828/yr | Fee, updated KYC, compliance confirmation |
| Curaçao (LOK) | No fixed expiry | €47,450/yr | Ongoing compliance + annual fee; supervision is continuous |
| Tobique | Annual | €36,000 first year | Fee, updated file, crypto-controls confirmation |
| KUNAISA | Annual | €19,500/yr (incl. 2 domains) | Fee, domain list, compliance confirmation |
| Malta (MGA) | Annual + audit | €25,000/yr + 5% player tax | Audited accounts, key-function confirmations, compliance review |
| Kahnawake | Annual | quoted on scope | Fee, fit-and-proper refresh, technical confirmation |
requirements
What regulators ask for at renewal
step by step
How we run a renewal
- Audit the file We pull the licence conditions, the renewal date and what the regulator asked for last time, then tell you exactly what is missing. Week 1
- Close the gaps Missing policies, unfiled changes, absent audit evidence — assembled and, where a notification was skipped, disclosed properly rather than hoped past. Week 1–4
- File and pay Renewal lodged inside the window, fee paid from an account we have confirmed is live, receipts kept. Before the window closes
- Hold the calendar Renewal dates, audit deadlines and reporting cycles tracked for every licence you hold, with the next file started 90 days out. Ongoing
Want a licence renewal taken off your desk?
Tell us your product, target markets and payment mix — we'll confirm the route that gets you live fastest at the lowest all-in cost, with the number itemised.
costs
What renewal costs each year
Regulator fees are the published schedules and mirror our jurisdiction pages — they are the floor, not the total. Budget separately for the audit, any re-certification and the compliance work the renewal evidences. Reinstating a lapsed licence typically costs more than the original application and takes longer, which is the whole argument for managing the date.
go deeper
Renewal by jurisdiction
Gaming licence renewal FAQ
Is a gaming licence renewed automatically?
Almost never. Most regimes require an active filing alongside the fee — confirmation that ownership and officers are unchanged, current AML and responsible-gaming policies, and often audited accounts. Treating the annual invoice as the whole renewal is the single most common reason a licence lapses.
How much does it cost to renew a gaming licence?
The regulator fee is the published annual figure: Anjouan from €17,828/yr, KUNAISA €19,500/yr, Malta €25,000/yr plus its 5% player tax, Curaçao €47,450/yr. On top sit the audit, any re-certification and the compliance work the renewal has to evidence. Our own renewal management is a fixed annual fee per licence.
When should renewal work start?
Sixty to ninety days before expiry. Regulators query files, auditors need lead time, and a payment that fails in the final week is not something you can appeal. Anything started inside the last fortnight is a file with no room for a single problem.
What happens if a licence lapses?
You stop being licensed — which in practice means your payment providers stop settling and your platform contracts are in breach, usually before you have finished arguing with the regulator. Reinstatement is typically slower and more expensive than the original application, and some regimes require a fresh file entirely.
Do I have to tell the regulator about a change of ownership?
Yes, and normally before it happens. Change of control, new directors and new beneficial owners require prior notification or approval in most regimes. Discovering an undeclared change at renewal reads to a regulator as concealment, which is a far worse conversation than the one you avoided.
Does Curaçao's licence expire?
Not on a fixed annual date. Under the LOK framework the licence stays valid while you remain compliant and pay the annual fee — supervision is continuous rather than a once-a-year gate. That removes the deadline but not the obligation, and in practice it makes an internal compliance calendar more important, not less.
other products
Licences by product
Reviewed by the Vantegris licensing team. This page is general information, not legal advice. Fee schedules and timelines mirror our jurisdiction pages and change when regulators change them.
Free consultation
Renewal coming up?
Tell us the product — we'll map the licence, banking and structure that gets it live. Free, confidential, no obligation — most enquiries get a reply within 24 hours.