Nevis Gaming Regulator: NOGA, Powers and Licences 2026

The Nevis gaming regulator is the Nevis Online Gaming Authority, known as NOGA. It licenses and supervises online gaming operators under the Nevis Online Gaming Ordinance 2025. NOGA grants licences, runs due diligence on applicants, and reviews each file again at renewal. This guide sets out the powers the authority holds, the licences it issues, how it reviews and refuses an application, and how it supervises operators after the grant. It also covers the cost picture and the markets a NOGA licence does not reach. For the licence itself and the full application route, see our Nevis gaming licence complete guide.

Nevis gaming regulator: who NOGA is

The Nevis gaming regulator is a state body created by the Nevis Online Gaming Ordinance 2025. That Ordinance came into force on 1 May 2025, and the Nevis Island Administration administers it. Before that law, online gaming in Nevis sat outside a dedicated statutory regime. So NOGA is the first authority to license and supervise the activity under a single framework.

NOGA grants licences, screens applicants, and monitors operators for the life of the licence. It publishes its remit and its licence register on the Nevis Online Gaming Authority portal. That register lets players and payment partners confirm a licence is genuine. Because the framework is recent, confirm any figure or procedure in writing with the authority before you rely on it.

What the Nevis Online Gaming Ordinance 2025 lets NOGA do

The Nevis gaming regulator holds four working powers under the Ordinance. First, it grants, refuses, and renews licences against the standards in the law. A refusal usually follows a failed fit and proper check or an incomplete file. Second, the authority supervises anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing controls, and it expects those controls to match the FATF Recommendations.

Third, the authority inspects and audits licensees, so it can request KYC records, transaction logs, and player protection data at any time. Fourth, it enforces. Its tools run from written warnings and added licence conditions to suspension and revocation of the licence. In practice, NOGA works on a graduated basis: it flags a gap, sets a fix, then escalates only if the operator does not act. To build a file that meets these standards from the start, many operators appoint a licensing agent to manage the correspondence with the authority.

Nevis gaming regulator and FSRC: two bodies, two roles

Two bodies regulate a Nevis licence, and operators who treat the Nevis gaming regulator as the only one miss a step. NOGA supervises gaming: licensing, due diligence, technical standards and enforcement. The Nevis Financial Services Regulatory Commission, the FSRC, registers the local reporting officer and receives anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing reports.

That split shapes two mandatory appointments. The compliance officer must be independent, so a director, shareholder or beneficial owner cannot hold the role. The local reporting officer must reside in Nevis and hold FSRC registration. Because the independence rule is structural, a founder cannot fix a failed appointment with a job title change. Many operators fill the compliance role through an external provider, then appoint the reporting officer through a registered agent in Nevis. NOGA has not published a public rule on whether an offshore third-party firm can hold the compliance role, so confirm the arrangement in writing before you commit. For both roles, our provision of licensing officers service supplies and maintains the appointees.

The licences NOGA issues

The Nevis gaming regulator issues two licence classes, split by who the operator serves. A B2C licence covers operators that take bets directly and hold player accounts. A B2B licence covers software firms, platform providers and game studios that supply licensed operators rather than take player money. Both classes go through the same authority and the same fit and proper vetting.

The base licence fee covers two domains, and extra domains carry an added per-domain charge. Crypto brands operate under the same two classes, and the technical detail sits in our guide to the Nevis crypto casino gaming licence. So the first question to settle is whether you hold player funds, because that decides your class.

How the Nevis gaming regulator reviews an application

The Nevis gaming regulator works from a complete file, and it runs a fit and proper check on every director, shareholder and ultimate beneficial owner. That check covers identity, financial standing, source of funds and source of wealth. It also screens each person against sanctions and politically exposed person lists. You supply certified passports and proof of address, corporate formation papers, AML and KYC policies, responsible gaming rules, a business plan, supplier agreements, and RNG certificates.

Timelines split into two parts. NOGA commonly reviews a complete file within 8 to 12 weeks. Before that clock starts, you incorporate the company and prepare documents, and that stage sits outside the authority’s control. So the realistic total depends far more on how ready your file is than on the review window itself. To set the corporate base up first, our gaming company incorporation service handles the Nevis entity the application is built around.

What stalls or refuses an application

The Nevis gaming regulator does not publish a formal list of rejection grounds. So plan against the checks the framework does state, because most delays trace back to the applicant rather than the authority. The recurring issues stay consistent across offshore routes of this type.

• A source-of-wealth trail that stops at a bank balance rather than showing where the money came from
• An ownership chain that does not resolve to named individuals
• Missing notarisation or apostilles on passports and corporate documents
• A compliance officer who is not independent of the directors and owners
• AML and KYC policies written as a template rather than as a description of how the platform runs
• Documents that expire before submission, such as a criminal record certificate dated too early

One point deserves attention. The application fee is non-refundable, and NOGA has not published a fixed pre-vetting check or a formal cure period for a flagged file. For that reason, confirm in writing what happens to a deficient file before you pay, so a missing item does not cost you the fee. Order the dated documents last, because a certificate obtained early in a slow project can lapse before the file is ready.

What the Nevis gaming regulator has not published

Several parts of the Nevis gaming regulator’s framework sit outside published guidance, and each one is worth confirming in writing before you file. Treat the gaps below as questions for the authority, not as assumptions to budget around.

• The exact renewal filing window. The licence runs for one year, but NOGA has not published how many days before expiry the renewal file is due.
• The enforcement schedule. The authority can warn, add conditions, suspend or revoke, yet it has not published a tiered schedule of penalty amounts.
• Player dispute resolution. NOGA lists player protection as a duty, but it has not published a fixed alternative dispute resolution route or a resolution deadline.
• Player fund segregation. Nevis has not published a segregation rule in the detailed form several European regulators use, so set out your approach in your written policies.

None of these gaps blocks a licence. They shape your operating plan, though, so get each answer from NOGA at licensing rather than after a breach. That written confirmation is also what banks and payment partners ask to see during onboarding.

How NOGA supervises licensees after the grant

The Nevis gaming regulator supervises operators for the whole licence term, and the checks continue after the grant. You keep the compliance officer and the reporting officer active. You keep KYC, transaction and self-exclusion records available for inspection. Keep AML, KYC and responsible gaming policies current, because a policy written once and never updated is a common reason a later review flags an operator.

Technical duties continue too. RNG certification usually runs four to eight weeks from a stable build, and a failed round adds a further cycle. Audited financial statements are due within three months of the fiscal year end, and the licence renews annually. Start the renewal file about six weeks before expiry, since it needs current appointments, filed statements and up-to-date corporate records. For the full post-issuance calendar, see our guide to ongoing Nevis compliance obligations.

What a NOGA licence costs

The Nevis gaming regulator sets one published fee, the annual licence fee, commonly quoted at approximately EUR 28,000 for a year and covering two domains. That figure is not the full cost of entry, though, and NOGA can adjust its tariff, so confirm the current amount before you budget. The parts that decide your first-year number sit around the licence fee rather than in it.

Banking is usually the largest variable, not the licence. Acquirers, payment service providers and banks each run their own assessment of the issuing authority, your ownership chain and your target markets, and that decision sits outside the licensing process. So secure indicative appetite from at least one acquirer and one bank before you file. For the itemised numbers, see our full Nevis licence fee breakdown.

What a NOGA licence does and does not cover

A licence from the Nevis gaming regulator authorises the gaming activity in your application, under the Nevis Online Gaming Ordinance 2025, in the class you hold. Gaming tax sits at zero at the Nevis level, and your operating company still answers to corporate tax in its jurisdiction of incorporation. State the scope limits plainly before you commit.

• Residents of Nevis and Saint Kitts may not play, so you geo-block the domestic jurisdiction.
• The European Union licenses gambling at member-state level, so an EU market needs a local authorisation.
• The United Kingdom requires a UK Gambling Commission licence.
• The United States requires a licence from each regulated state.

Each EU country runs its own regime rather than recognising an offshore licence, as the European Commission sets out for online gambling in the EU. So build country blocking into the platform before you take a single deposit. Operators weighing Caribbean options often look at the Antigua and Barbuda gaming licence as well, and the right route depends on your markets and ownership.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the Nevis gaming regulator?

The Nevis gaming regulator is the Nevis Online Gaming Authority, or NOGA. It licenses and supervises online gaming operators under the Nevis Online Gaming Ordinance 2025, which came into force on 1 May 2025. The Nevis Island Administration administers the framework.

What law does NOGA regulate under?

NOGA regulates under the Nevis Online Gaming Ordinance 2025 and its supporting regulations. That law sets the licensing standards, the AML and CFT rules, and the enforcement powers. The authority applies AML controls in line with the FATF Recommendations.

Do you apply to NOGA directly?

You incorporate a Nevis company and file through it, and most operators appoint a registered agent in Nevis to manage the process. The reporting officer is registered with the Nevis FSRC, a separate body. Confirm which documents each authority requires before you submit.

How long does NOGA take to approve a licence?

NOGA commonly reviews a complete file within 8 to 12 weeks. Company setup and document preparation add time before that review starts. So the total depends on how ready your file is when you file it.

Does a NOGA licence let you serve EU, UK or US players?

No. The European Union licenses gambling at member-state level, the United Kingdom requires a UK Gambling Commission licence, and the United States requires a licence in each regulated state. A NOGA licence does not substitute for any of these, so plan geo-blocking for those markets from launch.

Can residents of Nevis and Saint Kitts play?

Residents of Nevis and Saint Kitts may not play, so you geo-block the domestic jurisdiction from day one. The licence is built for international players. Confirm the current restricted-country list with NOGA before launch.

Who can act as the compliance officer for a Nevis licensee?

The compliance officer must be independent of the licensed company, so a director, shareholder or beneficial owner cannot hold the role. Many operators appoint an external provider. The local reporting officer is a separate appointment and must reside in Nevis with FSRC registration.

Is there gaming tax under the Nevis framework?

Nevis levies no gaming tax at the jurisdiction level, and it publishes no minimum share capital rule for the licensed entity. Your operating company still answers to corporate tax where it is incorporated. Confirm your position with a tax adviser before you budget.

Working with NOGA on a Nevis licence

The Nevis gaming regulator licenses through two mandatory officer appointments, sets a one-year licence term, and leaves several operating details to written confirmation rather than published guidance. The figures that decide your project sit around the licence: the confirmed tariff, the two officer roles, and your acquirer’s appetite. Confirm all three in writing before you pay anything. For a costed plan, speak with the DD Consultus advisory team at contact@licencegaming.com or +356 99408536.