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🍁 Tobique — iGaming · Canada · Fast Track

Tobique — Tobique GA licence.

The Tobique Gaming Authority, a First Nations licensing body within Canada, offers a fast, low-cost iGaming licence for operators seeking a North American regulatory base.

Timeline

3—4 wk

Fastest path to licence

Govt Fee

€36,000

€2,500 non-refundable if denied

Year-1 Cost

From ~€55K

G&S pkg + govt fee

Regulator

Tobique GA

New Brunswick, Canada

01 — Is this right for you?

A considered route,
not a shortcut.

This jurisdiction rewards operators who treat the application as the start of a supervisory relationship.

A strong fit

When this is the right choice

Operators wanting the fastest path to a legitimate gaming licence

3–4 weeks from engagement to licence grant. Comparable to Curaçao's fastest track but with Canadian territorial legitimacy and administered by a body with 25 years of Curaçao oversight experience.

Operators seeking a Curaçao-equivalent without Curaçao's 2024 reforms

Since Curaçao's LOK reform tightened requirements and costs, Tobique offers a comparable framework with lower fees (€36K govt vs. ~€61K Curaçao annual fee) and simpler compliance obligations.

Crypto-friendly and crypto-native operators

Tobique's jurisdiction has no restrictions on cryptocurrency payment models. The Costa Rica + Cyprus structure supports both fiat and crypto processing pipelines.

A poor fit

When to consider an alternative

Operators targeting the United States

Tobique explicitly excludes US players. Operators whose primary market is the US cannot use this licence.

Operators needing Tier-1 EU/UK PSP access

Tobique is a newer jurisdiction and not yet universally recognised by EU clearing banks. Operators needing deep European institutional banking should pair Tobique with Malta MGA.

Operators needing long-term regulatory track record recognition

Tobique is newer than Curaçao, Isle of Man, or Malta. Some B2B suppliers and institutional partners may require a primary licence from an older jurisdiction.

02 — Licence categories

Permissions under
one Act.

Choosing the right tier and scope is the most consequential decision in the application.

Online Casino & Slots

Tobique covers the full spectrum of online casino operations — slots, table games, live dealer, and virtual games — under a single licence. RNG certification and responsible gambling policies are required.

Sports Betting & Poker

Sports betting and online poker are covered within the same Tobique gaming licence. Operators can run multiple verticals without seeking separate permits, keeping compliance overhead minimal.

Bingo & Lottery

Bingo and lottery products are included in the Tobique licence scope. The jurisdiction's broad activity coverage is one of its main advantages over newer single-vertical licences.

Crypto & Hybrid Operations

Tobique imposes no restrictions on cryptocurrency payment models. Operators running crypto-native platforms, hybrid fiat/crypto models, or blockchain-based games can structure their operations freely under the Costa Rica + Cyprus corporate architecture.

03 — Path to grant

Phases to licence grant.

Background check and document preparation

Week 1

Background verification completed for all beneficial owners and directors. Documentation assembled: passport copies, proof of address, bank statements, AML/KYC policies. Costa Rica + Cyprus company structure planned and confirmed.

Company registration

Weeks 1—2

Costa Rican licence holder company incorporated. Cyprus subsidiary gateway company established. Full corporate document set prepared — articles, shareholder registers, director appointments, and registered office confirmations.

Licence application and filing

Weeks 2—3

Application submitted to the Tobique Gaming Authority. Government licence fee paid (€36,000 total; €2,500 non-refundable if denied). Application monitored and queries responded to promptly to maintain timeline.

Bank account and operational launch

Weeks 3—4

Corporate bank account opened for the Cyprus gateway entity. Ongoing compliance package (€7,000) activated upon licence grant. Platform launched under Tobique Gaming Authority oversight with required AML/KYC and geofencing in place.

04 — Year-one economics

Cost and regulatory
burden.

Year-one spend is dominated by substance — resident director, office, compliance officer, external audit — not the licence fee itself.

Cost item	Amount
GSS Legal — Standard (company + licence, basic)	€12,000 one-time
GSS Legal — Advanced (adds AML/KYC documents)	€12,000 one-time
GSS Legal — Complete (adds compliance staff)	€12,000 one-time
Tobique govt licence fee (€2,500 non-refundable if denied)	€36,000
Ongoing compliance package (on licence grant)	€7,000
Year-1 total (any package + govt fee + compliance)	From ~€55,000

0% gaming/betting tax, 0% corporate income tax, 0% income tax — only fixed fees apply. Figures above reflect typical year-one operational loadings for an active operator.

05 — Common questions

What founders
ask before filing.

The questions we get on every diagnostic call. If yours isn't here, raise it in the consultation.

Tobique is administered by the same regulatory body that managed Curaçao sub-licences for 25 years. It mirrors the Curaçao structure in scope (broad B2C gaming activities, offshore model), speed (3–4 weeks vs. 8–12 weeks for new Curaçao direct licences), and cost efficiency. The main difference is Tobique's validity is specifically in Canada rather than the Netherlands Antilles framework.

The two-entity structure is specifically designed for Tobique operators. The Costa Rican entity is the licence holder — holding the Tobique gaming licence and operating the platform. The Cypriot entity acts as the payment gateway company, handling payment processing with European banks and PSPs. This structure optimises both licensing and payment operations simultaneously.

The total government fee is €36,000. If the application is approved (the normal outcome), the full €36,000 is the licence fee. If the application is denied, €2,500 is retained by the authority and €33,500 is refunded. This compares favourably to jurisdictions like Kahnawake where $15,000 is fully non-refundable.

Tobique operators can serve players globally except for North Korea, Iran, Myanmar, and the United States. Unlike some jurisdictions, there is no explicit restriction on EU players — though operators serving EU-regulated markets (Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, etc.) should obtain the relevant national licences for those specific markets.

Tobique operators pay an ongoing compliance package fee and must maintain their Costa Rica and Cyprus entities in good standing. AML/KYC policies must be kept current, and the platform must implement player geofencing for excluded jurisdictions. The regulatory body may conduct compliance checks at any time.

Ready when you are

Tell us where
you want to
operate.

Forty-five minutes with a partner. Jurisdiction memo within seven days. No retainer required to start.

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45 min

First call with a partner.
No retainer required.

Tobique — Tobique GA licence.

A considered route,not a shortcut.

When this is the right choice

When to consider an alternative

Permissions underone Act.