Western Sahara Gaming Licence
What is the Western Sahara gaming licence?
A Western Sahara gaming licence is an offshore eGambling authorisation issued by the Central Reserve Authority (CRA) of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR). Western Sahara is listed by the United Nations as a Non-Self-Governing Territory, and the SADR administers the offshore registry under its own law. The CRA has issued banking, brokerage, crypto, gaming, insurance, and trust licences since it was established in 2016, and online gambling has been licensed in the territory since 2017.
Applications do not go to the authority directly. Instead, a CRA-certified registered agent files them, handles the incorporation, and delivers the certificate. As a result, every applicant works through an appointed agent from the first step.
The framework splits the eGambling licence into two categories by function. First, you decide which category or categories match your role. Then your agent prepares the file for each one you need.
Who can hold a Western Sahara gaming licence?
The licence is held by an International Business Company (IBC) registered in Western Sahara. The corporate side is light: the IBC needs at least one director and one shareholder, neither of whom has to be resident, and no minimum share capital applies.
Each IBC appoints one certified registered agent and keeps a local registered office address in the territory. In addition, the CRA runs good-character checks on the owners, directors, and beneficial owners, who each provide a notarised clean criminal record certificate.
If you are planning an offshore launch, book a free consultation and our team will map the category, the company, and the compliance file you need.
Types of Licences
The two Western Sahara eGambling licence categories
Western Sahara issues two eGambling licence categories, and the split follows function rather than product vertical. So a single category can cover casino, sportsbook, poker, and lottery activity, provided your role matches the category you hold.
Category 1: organising gambling operations
This category covers player registration, identity verification, the contractual relationship with the player, and the management of player funds. If you hold the player wallet, you need this category.
Category 2: conducting gambling transactions
This category covers operating the gambling platform and executing transactions on it, including running the platform inside an approved hosting centre.
When you need both
Operators who hold player funds and also run their own platform commonly need both categories. Therefore, the first question your agent asks is where the player wallet sits. If a third-party platform holds it, your scope narrows and your document set gets shorter.
Crypto and digital assets
The CRA issues crypto licences alongside gaming licences under SADR law, and operators use the framework for digital-asset models. In that case, you apply the same AML, KYC, transaction monitoring, and sanctions screening controls to crypto flows that you apply to fiat, and you confirm the permitted scope in writing with your registered agent.
Licensing Requirements
Western Sahara gaming licence requirements
The authority works from a complete file, so gather every item before your agent submits. A gap sends the file back to you rather than into review. The application commonly includes:
- A signed application form setting out the proposed gaming operations
- Notarised passport copies, proof of address, and proof of income for every shareholder, director, and ultimate beneficial owner
- A bank reference and a business reference for each named individual
- Certificate of incorporation and an extract from the commercial register, plus any existing business licence and tax registration
- A notarised criminal record certificate for the owner, board members, and beneficiaries, dated within the past three months
- Written AML, KYC, transaction monitoring, and record-keeping policies
Good-character and fit-and-proper checks
The owners, directors, and beneficial owners pass a good-character assessment. The criminal record certificate confirms the absence of relevant penalties within the past three months, and key people are also vetted for the absence of a plea or conviction for certain offences over the last five years. Most operators build their AML controls around the FATF Recommendations on customer due diligence, which supports both the application and the later banking review.
Hosting and platform testing
A Category 2 platform runs inside an approved hosting centre. Whether that permits cloud hosting outside the territory is a point to confirm in writing with the CRA before you build. In addition, SADR does not publish a mandatory list of accredited testing laboratories, yet platform providers, aggregators, and payment partners usually ask for independent RNG and game-fairness evidence as a commercial condition, so commission it early.
How long licensing takes
The authority reviews a complete file in a few weeks once fees clear. Counting incorporation, document collection, and compliance drafting, issuance usually lands about eight to twelve weeks from the start. A full engagement, including the corporate bank account, commonly runs 14 to 18 weeks.
Company Requirements
Western Sahara gaming licence cost and tax
The headline cost centres on an annual licence fee, and the wider budget then carries the IBC, the registered agent, document production, compliance, and banking. Public sources describe the annual fee for a Category 1 eGambling licence as low, and the CRA does not publish a fixed figure, so confirm the current tariff in writing with the authority or its certified agent before you commit.
| Cost component | What it covers | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Annual licence fee | The eGambling category you hold, paid with the application | Annual |
| IBC registration | Company formation, name reservation, register entry | One-off, then renewal |
| Registered agent and office | Certified agent services and the local registered address | Annual |
| Document production | Notarisation, apostilles, translations, criminal record certificates | One-off per applicant |
| Compliance drafting | AML, KYC, and responsible gaming policy preparation | One-off, reviewed annually |
| Banking and payments | Account opening and payment provider onboarding | One-off plus transaction costs |
One detail matters for cash flow: the annual licence fee is paid with the application, not after preliminary approval. For the full stage-by-stage detail, read our Western Sahara gaming licence application process guide.
Tax treatment
SADR levies no gambling tax on licensed activity, so your regulatory cost sits in fixed items rather than a percentage of gross gaming revenue. Even so, a zero gambling tax does not settle your wider tax position. Your operating company answers to the corporate tax rules of wherever it is resident and managed, and where a player sits can trigger a charge under that country’s own law. Therefore, confirm the treatment with a tax adviser before you fix the structure.
Budget beyond the fee
Banking is usually the largest variable rather than the licence. The all-in first-year budget carries incorporation, the registered agent and office, compliance drafting, a corporate bank or payment account, and platform and certification work.
Benefits
Why operators choose Western Sahara
What the licence offers
A Western Sahara gaming licence pairs a light corporate setup with a short regulator stage. In particular, SADR levies no gambling tax on licensed activity, no minimum share capital applies to the IBC, and the authority reviews a complete file in a few weeks. One filing is scoped by function, so a single category can cover several product verticals.
Who the licence suits
- Startups that want a contained upfront cost and a short regulator stage
- Operators who want one filing scoped by function rather than by product
- Crypto and Web3 platforms that settle in digital assets
- Established operators adding an offshore base
- Operators who already hold a platform contract and need an authorisation quickly
Where a Western Sahara licence operates
The licence authorises the gambling activity described in your application, under SADR law, in the category you hold. It is for international markets, so it does not grant access to the European Union, the United Kingdom, or the United States, which each require their own national authorisation. For those markets, you add the relevant local licence and build country blocking into the platform from launch. Banks and payment providers also run their own assessment of the issuing authority and your target markets, so secure indicative appetite from an acquirer and a bank before you file.
Get started in Western Sahara
DD Consultus manages the full process, from IBC incorporation and the licence application through suitability, compliance, and banking groundwork. For the operator advantages in detail, see our Western Sahara gaming licence benefits guide. To begin, book a free consultation, or contact contact@licencegaming.com or +356 99408536.
Reviewed by Denitza Dimitrova, Managing Partner. Former Manager for Legal and Enforcement at the Malta Gaming Authority. About the team
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the Western Sahara gaming licence.