Belize license

Belize regulates gambling through its own domestic framework, separate from the licensing models used by Curaçao or Malta. Online gaming can fall under both a gaming licence and separate AML/CFT registration, administered by different bodies — a narrower, more tightly controlled system than older marketing pages suggest. Below: the regulator, requirements, application process, AML/CFT obligations, fees, and how to check an operator's status. For a broader overview of gambling jurisdictions, see our casino licences section.

Yes, but it's a specific and limited category rather than a broad open-market licence — administered through the Gaming Control Board and the Ministry responsible for investment, under the Gaming Control Act and the Online Gaming Regulations.

• Only a small number of companies hold a genuine online gaming licence issued this way, according to the government's own statements.
• The government has separately warned that other operators claiming a Belize licence are unauthorised.
• Belize's AML/CFT framework treats "Internet Casino or Online Gaming" as its own regulated category, distinct from land-based casinos and gambling houses — confirming online gaming is recognised and supervised even though the licensed market itself is small.

Oversight is split across separate bodies with separate functions, not handled by one single authority.

An applicant has to be a company incorporated in Belize, with ownership, directors and key persons disclosed to the Gaming Control Board.

• Company incorporated in Belize, with ownership and directors disclosed to the Board
• Audited financial accounts and evidence of financial resources
• A business plan and identification for owners and directors
• A designated AML/CFT compliance officer
• Written AML/CFT policies and a risk assessment of the business and its customers
• Staff training and ongoing review of internal controls

The exact checklist should be confirmed directly with the Board or Ministry of Investment, since older third-party summaries aren't always current.

Belize's AML/CFT regime, overseen by the FIU, registers "Casinos, Gambling Houses, Internet Casino or Online Gaming" as DNFBPs, separate from the gaming licence. Registration must happen before a business starts operating, with annual renewal afterward, and carries several standing obligations, not optional extras:

• Customer due diligence for larger transactions
• Monthly reporting of cash transactions above a set threshold
• Reporting of large international transfers
• Suspicious transaction reports whenever money laundering or terrorist financing is suspected
• A designated compliance officer, documented policies and regular staff training

The general process runs through the Ministry of Investment and the Gaming Control Board.

1. Establish a company incorporated in Belize.
2. Prepare ownership, director and management information.
3. Submit the application form and business plan to the Gaming Control Board.
4. Provide financial statements and evidence of financial resources.
5. Register separately with the FIU as a DNFBP and submit AML/CFT policies.
6. Provide technical and operational details of the gaming business.
7. Complete the Board's review and due-diligence checks.
8. Pay the applicable application and licence fees.
9. Receive approval before starting regulated operations.

Belize doesn't publish a guaranteed processing timeframe, and the actual documentary requirements should be confirmed with the Ministry of Investment rather than assumed from older listings.

Under the published application guidelines, the application fee is a non-refundable US$5,000, and the annual licence fee is US$10,000 once approved. This is separate from FIU DNFBP registration, which carries its own smaller fees, and from any further due-diligence costs the Board may apply during review. A reform bill that would restructure gaming regulation, including a new licensing body, was introduced but paused for revision, so the current fee structure remains the one to rely on for now.

A licensed operator is expected to meet age restrictions, identify and verify customers, and operate under the AML/CFT controls described above, with the FIU and Gaming Control Board able to monitor compliance. Formal, published requirements for responsible-gambling tools or player-fund protection are less developed and less publicly documented here than in larger regulatory markets. Holding a Belize licence doesn't guarantee fast payouts, dispute-free service, or that every operator claiming Belize licensing is actually authorised — the government's own notices confirm unlicensed operators using the Belize name have been an active problem. Players should still check the casino's payment methods, withdrawal conditions and processing rules separately.

Belize doesn't maintain a comprehensive public online register of licensed operators the way some regulators do, so verification relies more on direct contact than a searchable database.

• Find the operator's exact legal company name.
• Check the licence details shown on the casino's own website.
• Compare those details against any official Gaming Control Board or government notices naming licensed operators.
• Contact the Ministry of Investment or Gaming Control Board directly to confirm current licence status.
• Check for any public enforcement notices naming the operator as unlicensed.

The two systems differ in scale and structure.

Curaçao licenses a large, active online gaming market with a public register. Belize's licence exists but has historically covered very few operators, with AML/CFT compliance run as a separate FIU registration. More information about the current Curaçao framework is available in our Curaçao casino licence guide.

The MGA runs a structured B2C/B2B licensing system built for a large international online casino industry, with detailed technical standards and a public licence register. Belize has its own domestic framework focused on a small number of authorised operators, without the same scale of published technical requirements. Regulatory process, transparency and market access differ significantly, and neither is inherently better suited to every operator.

Online gaming can be legal in Belize when conducted under a licence from the Gaming Control Board. Operators without that licence, even if they claim a Belize connection, are not authorised.

Yes, through the Gaming Control Board under the Gaming Control Act and Online Gaming Regulations, though the number of companies actually holding this licence has historically been small.

The Gaming Control Board licenses gaming activity. The Financial Intelligence Unit separately supervises AML/CFT compliance for casinos and online gaming as registered DNFBPs.

Published guidelines list a non-refundable US$5,000 application fee and a US$10,000 annual licence fee, separate from FIU DNFBP registration fees.

Compare the operator's legal name against official Gaming Control Board or government notices, and contact the Ministry of Investment directly, since a full public register is not comprehensively available.