Costa Rica data-processing structure for online gaming
The Costa Rican company that processes electronic bets for players abroad, under the Law 9050 tax: formed, registered and set up with you, alongside the gaming licence you hold elsewhere.
- Licences
- 1
- Where
- 1 place
- Our fees
- on quote
What we do, and what belongs to the authority
Costa Rica does not issue online gaming licences. Operators instead form a Costa Rican company — a sociedad anónima or a sociedad de responsabilidad limitada — that processes electronic bets for players located outside the country, with a municipal commercial licence and registration for the tax set by Law 9050.
We form the company, obtain its municipal licence, register it for the Law 9050 tax and organise its local office and payroll. The structure usually runs the back office, support or payments of an operator that holds its gaming licence in another jurisdiction.
Good to know before you start
- Costa Rica issues no online gaming licence; this is not a licence banks treat as one.
- Players located in Costa Rica are not served.
- The Law 9050 tax is due each year, paid quarterly, and depends on the number of direct employees.
What the authority examines
- The company that will hold the licence, its ownership and the origin of the funds of each beneficial owner.
- The key persons the regulator assesses: directors, compliance officer and anti-money-laundering officer.
- The games and bets offered, and the gaming platform, its suppliers and its certification where the regime requires it.
- Anti-money-laundering, player identification and responsible gambling policies.
- The handling of player funds, kept apart where the regime requires it.
- The websites or domains operated under the licence, and the markets excluded.
Before the call: the questions to settle
- Which games: casino, betting, poker, or several?
- Will you serve players directly, or supply other operators?
- Which countries do you want to accept, and which will you block?
- Who owns and who runs the company?
- Which platform and which payment providers?
After the licence: what continues
- The yearly licence and supervision fees the regime sets.
- Reports to the regulator and audits where the regime requires them.
- Anti-money-laundering monitoring and reports to the authority.
- Notice to the regulator before any change of owner, key person or domain.
- Responsible gambling tools kept in place for players.
Licences we prepare
Fees for preparing and filing, excluding VAT. The authority's own fees and the capital are not fees.
Costa Rica
How it works
- Scoping call
We check the activity, the market and the people, and name the licence that fits.
- Firm quote
A written quote with the fees and what they cover, before anything is signed.
- Identity check
Owners, directors and key people are verified before any work on the file.
- Application file
Programme of operations, financial plan, policies and governance, written with you.
- Filing and questions
We file the application and answer the authority's questions round after round.
- Decision
The authority decides. We stay on the file until the decision and the first obligations after it.
Documents we will ask you for
1 documents are required in every case, and 0 depending on the case. The first three:
Questions
Who operates Ceiba Gaming Structures?
Ceiba Gaming Structures is a service of AquaSands Trading AG, a Swiss stock corporation (Aktiengesellschaft, AG), c/o Kaurum GmbH, Hasenbüelweg 32, 6300 Zug, Switzerland. Orders, invoices and contracts are with AquaSands Trading AG.
Do you guarantee the licence?
No. The licence is granted by the authority after its own review. Our commitment is the quality of the file, its filing and its follow-up until the decision.
How are your fees set?
Every licence on this site is quoted after review, because the authority's own fees depend on the activity. The firm quote follows the scoping call.
How long does it take?
Preparation and filing take 6–16 weeks once we have your documents. The decision and its timing belong to the authority: no time to approval is announced.
Where can these licences be obtained?
Costa Rica.