About the Cyprus Gaming Commission
The Cyprus Gaming Commission (CGC) was established in 2015 under the Casino Operations and Control Law as an independent government agency. Its mandate covers licensing, AML supervision, civil enforcement, and casino tax collection across all land-based casino operations in the Republic of Cyprus.
The Commission supervises a single Integrated Casino Resort alongside four satellite venues. City of Dreams Mediterranean in Limassol, operated by Melco Resorts, holds the principal license, while satellites serve Nicosia, Larnaca, the Famagusta free area, and Paphos under the same umbrella.
We treat Cyprus as a regional gaming authority with restricted scope. The model concentrates authority on a tightly defined casino footprint while routing other gambling categories through a separate regulator.
How Cyprus Licensing Works
Sports betting falls under the National Betting Authority (NBA), established in 2012 under the Betting Law and now operating under Law 37(I)/2019. This is a parallel agency to the CGC, not a subordinate body, handling every sports betting licence in the country.
The NBA issues two principal licence classes. Class A authorises land-based bookmaker shops plus limited offline poker. Class B covers electronic and online sports betting but excludes slot machines, lotteries, online casino games, and electronic horse-racing.
Applicants must meet baseline requirements before a Cyprus betting licence is granted:
- Cyprus company seat or EU member-state branch with betting as main activity
- Substantial share capital and bank guarantee covering player liabilities
- AML and KYC controls aligned with EU directives; cashless processing only
Licence fees follow a biennial renewal cycle. Betting tax splits between net revenue, sports federation contributions, and gambling-addiction programmes. CGC-supervised casino operations carry a separate gaming duty on gross gaming revenue.
Player Protection Under Cyprus Law
The bank guarantee mechanism functions as the primary player liability cushion under NBA oversight. If a licensed bookmaker defaults, the guarantee is structured to cover outstanding player balances — a different mechanism from segregated funds with comparable defensive intent.
We flag honestly that Cyprus does not operate an independent Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) scheme on the model of the UK’s eCOGRA or IBAS arrangements. Complaints route directly to NBA or CGC administrative channels rather than third-party arbitration.
Responsible gambling sits across both regulators through safergambling.gov.cy, the joint NBA and CGC portal. Self-exclusion registers and minor-protection regulations apply across both verticals. We recommend players use the platform’s responsible gambling framework with any Cyprus-licensed operator.
Age controls split by vertical — eighteen for sports betting and twenty-one for casino entry. Cross-border player recourse is limited because the framework is built around domestic licensees.
Cyprus vs Other Licenses
Both Cyprus and Malta are EU member-state regulators, but Malta’s MGA provides comprehensive Tier-1 oversight covering every gaming vertical including online casino. Cyprus restricts itself to land-based casino plus sports betting — players cross-shopping should treat them as different licensing categories.
Curaçao operates a broad offshore framework permitting all gaming verticals with lighter recourse mechanisms. Cyprus offers narrower domestic licensing with EU consumer-protection treaty obligations, but without Curaçao’s online casino coverage.
Within the EU peer set, Estonia permits online casino activity under EMTA licensing while Cyprus prohibits it. EU membership alone does not standardise online gambling policy — each member state sets its own restrictive perimeter.
How to Verify a Cyprus License
For casino operations, the Cyprus Gaming Commission publishes licensee registers on cgc.org.cy under Supervision and Licensees. Categories include Casino Resort, Employees, Suppliers, Gaming Equipment, and Junket Operators — each searchable for a specific licence number or entity.
For sports betting, the National Betting Authority publishes Class A and Class B registers on nba.gov.cy. Deeper register sections operate in Greek under ΕΠΟΠΤΕΥΟΜΕΝΟΙ → ΜΗΤΡΩΑ, introducing verification friction for non-Greek speakers.
Warning signs are concrete. If operators marketing Cyprus licensing for online casino games appear in search results, the claim is unverifiable because Cyprus does not issue online casino licences. A licence number not findable in the NBA Class B register typically indicates an unlicensed operator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is gambling legal in Cyprus?
Can I play online slots at a Cyprus-licensed casino?
How does Cyprus licensing compare to Malta or Curaçao?
How do I verify a Cyprus gambling license?
What’s the difference between CySec and the Cyprus Gaming Commission?
Final Take
Cyprus licensing best suits players engaged with land-based casino activity at the Integrated Casino Resort or with regulated sports betting through NBA Class A and Class B licensees. The framework offers EU consumer-protection treaty alignment, meaningful capital thresholds, and active regulator enforcement against unlicensed activity.
Consider another licensing context if you are evaluating an online casino operator. Cyprus does not license online slots, live dealer, or table games — any such offer marketed as Cyprus-licensed deserves harder scrutiny than the badge alone provides.
