Cyprus Gambling License: The NBA Class B in 2026
Cyprus licenses exactly one online product: fixed-odds betting under the National Betting Authority's Class B. Online casino is a felony, slots belong to the single land resort, and the levy quietly rose to 15 percent of net revenue while most guides kept quoting 13.
This guide carries the numbers from the Betting Law and its 2024 amendment read from the gazette, the requirements that actually bite, and the registers the NBA keeps.
Every figure on this page comes from the regulator's own documents. Last verified July 13, 2026.
Our verdict, in brief
Cyprus is a betting license, not a gambling license, and the difference is criminal law: Class B covers online fixed-odds betting and nothing else, while operating online casino games is a felony carrying up to five years. Within that narrow lane the regime is solid EU paper at moderate cost, EUR 30,000 a year with EUR 500,000 in capital and a EUR 550,000 bank guarantee behind it, and bet365, Stoiximan, and Novibet hold it. Two facts most write-ups get wrong: the total levy has been 15 percent of net betting revenue since December 2024, not 13, because the NBA's own English law PDF is the unamended 2019 text, and the supposed Melco online casino monopoly does not exist, the casino law contains no online provisions at all. Budget for the .com.cy domain rule and a backup server on the island.
What the license costs
Fees sit in the Betting (Payable Fees) Regulations and the levies in article 74 of the Betting Law, amended at the end of 2024. The amendment exists only in the Greek gazette text, which is where these numbers come from.
| Fee | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Operator license, online bettingNBA term: Class B bookmaker licence | EUR 30,000 / 1 yr | EUR 45,000 for 2 years, paid with the application |
| Operator license, retail bettingNBA term: Class A bookmaker licence. Horse racing excluded from both | EUR 30,000 / 1 yr | Same structure |
| Authorized agent, retail | EUR 2,000 / 1 yr | EUR 3,000 for 2 years |
| Premises license | First free, then EUR 2,000 | Per additional premises per year |
| Betting taxBets received minus winnings paid | 10% of NGR | Monthly, by the end of the following month |
| NBA contributionWas 3% until December 30, 2024. 4 points fund sport, 1 point player protection | 5% of NGR | Monthly, same clock |
| Late payment | +5% plus interest | Revocation if unpaid one month past deadline |
| Rejection refund | Fee minus 25% | On refusal |
Source: Betting Law 37(I)/2019 with Law 162(I)/2024 (gazette text) and the NBA fees page
The first-year math
The first year costs EUR 30,000 in fees, but the real entry ticket is the balance sheet: EUR 500,000 in issued and paid-up capital plus the EUR 550,000 bank guarantee, both before the license lands. On the way out of year one the 15 percent levy on net betting revenue is the number that shapes the P&L, and it has been 15, not 13, since December 2024.
Requirements
Company and money
A company limited by shares, Cypriot or foreign with a Cyprus branch under the Companies Law, whose main activity is managing bets, with EUR 500,000 in paid-up capital and the EUR 550,000 bank guarantee valid until six months after license expiry. Clean criminal records for officers and 10 percent holders from three jurisdictions each.
The .com.cy cage and the island server
Class B websites are reachable only through addresses ending .com.cy, and a backup server physically in Cyprus runs in parallel to the main one, storing what the NBA specifies. Player registration completes identity checks within 30 days.
Player money rules
Player funds sit in a segregated clients' account at a credit institution that waives set-off rights, shortfalls against balances are topped up from own funds within three days of month-end, winnings pay out within five working days, no betting on credit, and balances dormant for 24 months go to the Authority.
What is criminally off the table
Article 84Online casino games, slots outside the licensed land resort, betting exchanges, spread betting, and dog racing are all prohibited, with online casino operation a felony at up to five years or EUR 300,000. The land casino is a separate 30-year Melco-led resort license with land-based exclusivity, and it grants no online rights to anyone.
How the application runs
The NBA process is short on paper and unbounded in time: the law sets no decision deadline, only a reasonable period, which is the structural opposite of Estonia's statutory clock.
- 1
Apply with the fee upfront
Application forms to the NBA with the one-year or two-year fee paid at filing, and the corporate, capital, and fit-and-proper dossier attached.
- 2
NBA review
No statutory deadlineThe Authority notifies approval or a reasoned rejection within a reasonable period, in the law's own words. Rejected applicants get the fee back minus 25 percent.
- 3
License and renewal
1 or 2 yearsThe term is chosen in the application, and renewal is filed at least three months before expiry.
The regime, dated
A young regime with one big quiet change:
The Betting Law
Law 37(I)/2019 creates the current Class A and Class B system under the National Betting Authority and criminalizes online casino.
The casino side settles
The 30-year integrated resort license goes to the Melco-led consortium under the 2015 casino law, with land-based exclusivity of up to 15 years and four satellites. No online provisions anywhere in that law.
The levy rises to 15%
Law 162(I)/2024 lifts the NBA contribution from 3 to 5 percent of net betting revenue, doubling the sport allocation. The NBA's English law PDF still shows the old text, which is why 13 percent keeps circulating.
Register churn, no law changes
New and renewed Class B licenses through 2026, an agents register maintained bi-weekly, and no amendment to the Betting Law on record since 162(I)/2024.
Registers and official documents
The NBA keeps live registers for both classes plus one of the largest blocking lists in Europe. These are the official pages.
Frequently asked
What operators ask before picking this jurisdiction, answered from the official record.
How much does a Cyprus betting license cost?+
EUR 30,000 for one year or EUR 45,000 for two, paid with the application and refunded minus 25 percent on rejection. The heavier entry requirements are EUR 500,000 in paid-up share capital and a EUR 550,000 bank guarantee. The running cost is the levy: 10 percent betting tax plus the 5 percent NBA contribution on net betting revenue.
Is the total levy 13% or 15%?+
15 percent since December 30, 2024, when Law 162(I)/2024 raised the NBA contribution from 3 to 5 percent on top of the 10 percent betting tax. The confusion persists because the NBA's own English law PDF is the unamended 2019 text. The current rate exists only in the Greek gazette, which is where we verified it.
Can I run an online casino on a Cyprus license?+
No, and not on anyone's license: operating online casino games is a felony under article 84, up to five years imprisonment or EUR 300,000. Class B covers fixed-odds betting only, and also excludes betting exchanges, spread betting, and slots. Cyprus is a betting jurisdiction, full stop.
Does Melco hold an online casino monopoly in Cyprus?+
No. The claim circulates but has no basis: the casino law 124(I)/2015 contains no online or remote gaming provisions at all. The Melco-led resort license is a 30-year land-based license with land-based exclusivity of up to 15 years. Online casino remains prohibited for everyone, including the resort.
What are the .com.cy and server rules?+
Class B betting websites may only be reachable through internet addresses ending .com.cy, and the operator runs a backup server physically in Cyprus in parallel with the main one, storing the data the NBA specifies. Both sit in the law itself, articles 68 and 32, not in guidance.
How long does the NBA take to decide?+
There is no statutory deadline. The law obliges the Authority to answer within a reasonable period, and no average processing times are published. Licenses run one or two years at the applicant's choice, with renewal filed at least three months before expiry.
Where to go from here
Cyprus is a narrow, solid lane. The neighboring options: