🇬🇬 Alderney · Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC)

Alderney Online Gambling Licence — 2026

A respected Channel Islands regulator — the AGCC offers a 0% gaming-tax, fee-based licence with a strong compliance reputation and flexible hosting.

Tier 1 — Premium reputation

Alderney punches above its size. The Channel Islands jurisdiction — population a couple of thousand — runs one of the more respected small-jurisdiction gambling regulators through the AGCC, with a compliance reputation that belies its scale.

Its pitch is a 0% gaming tax, fee-based model and flexible hosting in approved locations. There's no EU passporting — the Channel Islands sit outside the EU — and top-band annual fees are high. But for B2B platform providers wanting a credible licence without a GGR tax, Alderney is a strong fit.

Quick facts

Regulator	Alderney Gambling Control Commission ↗
Tier	Tier 1 — Premium reputation
Licence types	Category 1 eGambling licence (B2C player management), Category 2 eGambling licence (B2B platform / games), Category 1 & 2 Associate Certificates (foreign-based), Core Service Provider Associate Certificate, Temporary eGambling licence, Hosting Certificate, Key Individual Certificate
Application cost	GBP 17,500 first-year fee (no prior activity); GBP 35,000 for other new applications
Annual cost	GBP 35,000 (Cat 2 / Cat 1 Band A) rising by yield band to GBP 400,000 (Cat 1, yield over GBP 30m); + GBP 3,000 per associate
Gaming tax	0% gaming tax — fee-based model only
Corporate tax	Alderney/Guernsey 0% standard corporate tax for most companies
Substance	Servers need not be in Alderney — approved data centres/cloud outside the Bailiwick are allowed, but Category 2 licence holders must run essential gambling-transaction functions on Bailiwick servers; key persons fit-and-proper; economic-substance guidelines per OECD/ECOFIN
Timeline	4-12 weeks from a complete application (as little as 4 weeks with documents ready)

Pros

0% gaming tax — fee-based only
Strong compliance reputation for a small jurisdiction
Flexible hosting in AGCC-approved locations

Cons

High annual fees at the top revenue bands
No EU passporting (Channel Islands sit outside the EU)
Smaller brand recognition than Malta or the UK

Best for

B2B platform providers wanting a credible licence
Operators preferring a fee-only (no GGR tax) model
Groups serving UK and international markets

AGCC fee schedule — all seven renewal bands

The AGCC runs a fee-only model: no gaming duty, no VAT on gambling yield and zero-rated company profits. Fees (schedule effective 1 April 2015, still current): a Category 1 or Category 2 licence costs GBP 17,500 for the first year where there is no prior gambling activity, or GBP 35,000 for other new applications. Category 2 renews at a flat GBP 35,000. Category 1 renews by annual gambling yield — Band A under GBP 500k: GBP 35,000; Band B GBP 500k-1m: GBP 60,000; Band C GBP 1-5m: GBP 80,000; Band D GBP 5-7.5m: GBP 130,000; Band E GBP 7.5-20m: GBP 200,000; Band F GBP 20-30m: GBP 290,000; Band G over GBP 30m: GBP 400,000. Add GBP 3,000 a year per gambling-business associate. A Temporary eGambling licence is GBP 10,000 a year, a Core Service Associate Certificate GBP 10,000, Category 1/2 Associate Certificates GBP 35,000-50,000, and a Hosting Certificate carries no fee.

Category 1 vs Category 2 — and the associate certificates

Category 1 is the customer-facing licence: it covers all aspects of player management, so the licensee registers and holds the player relationship and can plug in games from Category 2 platforms or other licensed providers. Category 2 is the B2B licence: it covers effecting the gambling transaction and supplying the games and betting activity — the platform layer. Each has an Alderney-based form and a foreign-based form issued as an Associate Certificate, which is why many platform providers hold an AGCC Category 2 alongside customer-facing licences in Malta or the UK.

Hosting — servers need not be in Alderney, with one exception

You can be licensed by Alderney with servers in an approved data centre or cloud outside the Bailiwick. The exception is a Category 2 licence holder (not an associate-certificate holder), which must run certain essential functions of effecting the gambling transaction on Bailiwick servers. Alderney also sits in a multi-jurisdictional testing framework with the UK, the Isle of Man and Denmark, which reduces duplicate game-testing for groups licensed in more than one of them. The Hosting Certificate itself has no fee.

When a fee-only model beats a GGR duty — worked numbers

Because Alderney charges banded fees rather than a percentage of yield, the comparison with a duty-based Tier 1 regime turns on your gross gaming yield. Using the Isle of Man as the benchmark (GBP 36,750 full-licence fee plus Gambling Duty of 1.5% on yield up to GBP 20m, 0.5% on GBP 20-40m and 0.1% above): at GBP 500k yield Alderney Band A costs GBP 35,000 against about GBP 44,250 on the Isle of Man; at GBP 4m Band C is GBP 80,000 against about GBP 96,750; at GBP 15m Band E is GBP 200,000 against about GBP 261,750; and at GBP 35m Band G is GBP 400,000 against about GBP 411,750. In between the Isle of Man is cheaper — across Band B (GBP 500k-1m) and in the lower part of Bands C, D and E, with crossovers near GBP 2.9m, 6.2m and 10.9m — so run both schedules against your own yield. These figures exclude corporate tax, associate fees and compliance overhead.

Recent developments (2025-2026)

Alderney/Guernsey received a MONEYVAL/FATF endorsement in 2025; the AGCC appointed a new Commissioner from Guernsey's financial-crime division and formalised economic-substance guidance to OECD/ECOFIN standards. It keeps positioning as a B2B/platform-licensing specialist.

Frequently asked questions

Does Alderney charge gaming tax?

No. The AGCC runs a fee-based model with 0% tax on gaming revenue — operators pay annual licence fees scaled by category and revenue instead.

Is Alderney inside the EU?

No. Alderney is a Channel Island and sits outside the EU, so its licence doesn't provide EU passporting.

What is Alderney best known for?

A strong compliance reputation and B2B/platform licensing — many providers hold an AGCC Category 2 licence alongside customer-facing licences elsewhere.

How much does an Alderney gambling licence cost?

GBP 17,500 for a first year with no prior gambling activity or GBP 35,000 for other new applications, then annual renewal from GBP 35,000 (Category 2, or Category 1 under GBP 500k yield) up to GBP 400,000 for Category 1 above GBP 30m yield, plus GBP 3,000 per associate.

How long does an AGCC licence take?

Typically 4-12 weeks from a complete application — as little as four weeks when all documents are provided upfront, per the AGCC.

Do my servers have to be in Alderney?

No. Approved data centres or cloud outside the Bailiwick are permitted. The exception is a Category 2 licence holder, which must run essential gambling-transaction functions on Bailiwick servers.

Named experts covering Alderney

Real, publicly-verifiable practitioners whose work informs our coverage of this jurisdiction.

Wayne Atkinson Partner (Advocate), Corporate & Regulatory · Collas Crill (Guernsey) AGCC eGambling licensing · Gaming M&A · Regulatory compliance