In May 2025 a handful of well-known betting brands, including some with football club sponsorships, became unlicensed in Great Britain overnight. Their brands hadn’t done anything new. The company that held the licence behind them had surrendered it rather than pay a £3.3 million penalty.
That case shows the one thing every white label partner should understand: whose licence you are trading under, and what happens if it goes. This article explains what a white label casino is, then focuses on licensing and responsibility. For the technology and what the platform includes, see what white label casino software is.
White Label Casino: The Definition
A white label casino is an online casino run under your brand on another company’s platform. The provider supplies the software, game content, payments and often the licence and back-office operations. You supply the brand, marketing and players, and the two sides share revenue. It is the quickest way to launch because most of the regulated infrastructure already exists.
Who Holds the Licence?
This is the question that matters most. There are broadly two models:
- The provider’s licence covers your brand. You operate as a partner of the licence holder, who stays responsible to the regulator for everything done under the licence.
- You hold your own licence. The provider supplies technology and services, and you carry the regulatory responsibility directly.
Which model is allowed depends on the regulator.
How Regulators Treat White Label Arrangements
Great Britain
The UK Gambling Commission’s position is that responsibility always sits with the licence holder. In its 2019 to 2020 compliance report it counted more than 700 white label partners in Great Britain and said it expects licensees to carry out risk-based checks on partners, include termination clauses and treat white label agreements as key events to report.
Enforcement has followed. FSB Technology agreed to pay £600,000 in 2020 alongside a warning about white label practices. In May 2025, TGP Europe surrendered its licence and left the British market rather than pay £3.3 million, after the Commission found weak checks on partners’ owners and source of funds. The white label brands it supported, including SBOTOP, Sportsbet.io and FUN88, immediately became unlicensed in Great Britain. In August 2025, ProgressPlay, which ran 134 sites, was fined £1 million for anti-money laundering and social responsibility failings.
Malta
MGA guidance on gaming intermediaries says that a business contracting directly with players needs its own B2C licence, and one handling player registration and payments generally does too, unless it acts solely on behalf of a licensee. Businesses doing neither are treated more like additional websites of the licensee. Check with the MGA or a Maltese lawyer how your specific arrangement is classed.
Curaçao
Curaçao used to be known for sub-licences issued under a few master licences. That system has ended. New registrations under the old rules closed on 31 March 2024, and the new national ordinance, in force since 24 December 2024, uses direct licensing under the Curaçao Gaming Authority. Licences from the former regime can no longer be used. By December 2025, the authority had issued 604 provisional licences.
Other jurisdictions
Trade press reports that Anjouan allows white labelling but not sub-licensing. In the Philippines, PAGCOR has had a moratorium on new online gaming licences since 1 March 2024. Rules change quickly in smaller jurisdictions, so get local advice before relying on any of them.
Due Diligence Before You Sign
- Ask which licence your brand will trade under and get a copy. Check it on the regulator’s public register.
- Ask how the provider vets its partners. A provider with weak checks on others is a risk to you, as the TGP case showed.
- Read the termination and licence-loss clauses. What happens to your players and their balances if the licence goes?
- Confirm who handles KYC, AML, responsible gambling and complaints, and who answers to the regulator for each.
- Check that the games and payment methods are approved in your target markets.
- Plan your exit: data export, player migration and moving to your own licence if you grow.
FAQ
Do I need a licence to run a white label casino?
It depends on the market. In some, the provider’s licence covers partners; in others, you need your own. In Great Britain, the licence holder remains fully responsible, and partners must follow the licensee’s controls.
Can I still get a Curaçao sub-licence?
No. Curaçao moved to direct licensing under its new ordinance in December 2024, and old sub-licences can no longer be used.
What happens to my brand if the provider loses its licence?
Your brand can become unlicensed straight away in that market, as happened to TGP Europe’s partners in Great Britain in 2025.
A white label casino is the fastest route into iGaming, but you are borrowing someone else’s regulatory standing. Check whose licence it is, how well they run it and what happens if it goes. Our white label casino onboarding checklist covers the next steps once you have chosen a partner.
Industry events are where ideas turn into partnerships, and Gamingsoft is a consistent presence at the most important conferences on the global iGaming calendar. We attend these gatherings to stay close to the operators, developers, and regulators shaping the industry. Many of our strongest partnerships began with a conversation at an event. Our team is always ready to discuss game aggregation deals, market challenges, or anything else on your mind. Visit gamingsoft.com and connect with our business development team today.
