A UK remote casino operating licence costs £8,185 to apply for and £7,000 a year at the smallest band, under Gambling Commission fees in force from 1 October 2026. Both scale with annual gross gambling yield: the largest operators pay £165,069 to apply and £1,453,949 a year.
Every figure below is from the Commission’s remote casino operating licence page, read by this desk on 15 October 2026 and last updated 1 October 2026.
How much does a UK online casino licence cost, band by band?
| Band | Annual gross gambling yield (upper limit excluded) | Application fee | Annual fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Under £250,000 | £8,185 | £7,000 |
| F2 | £250,000-£875,000 | £14,483 | £12,375 |
| F3 | £875,000-£3m | £25,628 | £19,569 |
| G1 | £3m-£10.5m | £40,475 | £27,337 |
| G2 | £10.5m-£36.75m | £55,060 | £51,975 |
| H1 | £36.75m-£130m | £74,902 | £112,556 |
| H2 | £130m-£455m | £101,895 | £394,875 |
| I1 | £455m-£1.6bn | £122,274 | £1,181,625 |
| J1 | £1.6bn or more | £165,069 | £1,453,949 + £272,324 per complete extra £200m |
Add-ons: combining two of remote casino, bingo and virtual event betting adds £2,100 to apply and £6,250 a year; all three, £4,200 and £12,500.
Why did the fees change?
The Commission’s 30 June 2026 note on the DCMS consultation response says licence fees rise 25 percent overall, but differently for each type of operating licence. That is a headline figure, not a per-band rate. Existing operators’ new categories follow their 2025-26 regulatory return data.
Why do other sites quote different figures?
One ranking consultancy prints an application range of roughly £4,224 to £91,686; another quotes UK fees in euros. Neither gives an effective date in the text read, and that lowest figure is below the Commission’s current F1 fee.
Who actually pays the fee?
A new brand may be a white label on another company’s licence, and then the licensee paid the fee. What white label means on the register explains that; checking the licence number settles it. Timing: how long a Commission licence application takes.
FAQ
How much does a UK gambling licence cost?
It depends on the licence and the operator’s size. For a remote casino operating licence, the Commission lists application fees from £8,185 to £165,069 and annual fees from £7,000 upward, banded by annual gross gambling yield, in force from 1 October 2026.
How much does it cost to get an online gambling license?
For the smallest UK remote casino, band F1, the Commission lists £8,185 to apply and £7,000 a year. The first annual fee is cut by 25 percent, so on this desk’s arithmetic the first-year outlay is £13,435, before any bingo or virtual event betting add-on.
When is the first annual fee due?
Thirty days after the licence is issued, at 75 percent of the full figure, per the Commission’s remote casino page. After that it is due every year before the anniversary of issue. The reduction does not apply to ancillary or linked licence annual fees.
A fee is a cost of entry, not a verdict. Check the register, stick to UKGC-licensed operators, 18+ only, and GambleAware is there if it stops being fun.