Isle of Man Online Gaming

The Isle of Man operates a small international gaming sector which whilst the regulatory process is fairly expensive and slow (compared with Gibraltar and Malta) it offers a very simple and attractive tax structure particularly for larger operators. The usual stigma attached to the use of offshore companies (discussed in our section on offshore services) tends to have very little relevance in the arena of online gaming. 

Taxation
Isle of Man companies generally pay 0% tax (for more information about this please see our main article on Isle of Man private companies and their taxation) but gaming companies are subject to the following tax rates

Income Tax Rate
< 20 million 1.5%
20 - 40 million 0.5%
> 40 Million 0.1%

Fees
The following list includes fees due to the government only and not the fees of local service providers (if any) engaged to assist with license application or to provide ongoing support.

Application Fee (Non-Refundable) GBP 1,000

Full Annual Licence fee (on approval)

 GBP 35,000
Sub Licence cost (annual) GBP 5,000

Types of Licence
​Spreadbetting and purely skill based games do not require licensing in the Isle of Man but otherwise a licence must be obtained. Licences can be either full licence or sub-licences under an existing licence. All licenes are issued in blocks of five years.

Licence Requirements
Isle of Man gaming operators must be a local registered company (for more information about Isle of Man companies see our main page on Isle of Man private companies) and must have two local directors of which one must be designated official.

Timescale
The published timescale is about three months but due to the quantity of application it is more realistic to allow six months or longer.