Nikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the group build, including banking and payment rails.
Set up a gaming company in Costa Rica.
The industry's oldest open secret, told straight: Costa Rica issues no online gambling licence - the famous 'data processing licence' is a municipal business permit, not a gaming permission. What San José actually offers is one of the hemisphere's great operating bases: talent, time zone and territorial tax. We build that base properly - inside a group licensed where licences exist.
27 yrs
on the international marketon the market
60+
in-house specialistsspecialists
400+
Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
Updated
Costa Rica in brief
The sportsbook capital without a licence.
Costa Rica became the operating heart of the hemisphere's sportsbook industry precisely because of what it does not have: there is no licensing regime for online gambling serving foreign players - no gaming authority, no gaming licence, no gaming tax. Companies operate under an ordinary municipal business permit (the patente), often marketed abroad as a 'data processing licence' - a phrase that has sold a thousand setups and misled most buyers, because it is a business registration, not a gaming permission, and it authorises nothing anywhere else. What grew here regardless is real: three decades of sportsbook operations built San José into the industry's deepest talent pool north of the equator - traders, risk, customer service, retention - in the Americas' time zones at Central American cost.
The architecture that holds follows from the facts: Costa Rica is an operating base, not a flag. The build that works places the operating and service company in San José - people, platform operations, support - under a group whose licences live where licences exist: Curaçao's rebuilt regime, Kahnawake, Antigua, Panama or the regulated markets your book targets. Costa Rica's territorial tax logic keeps the base efficient; the licensed entities keep it bankable; and nobody has to pretend a municipal permit is something it is not. We build the San José hub - entity, permit, employment, premises, and the licensed group around it, as one programme.
The real version: Costa Rica has no online gambling licence - the 'data processing licence' is a municipal business permit. The real product is the hemisphere's best operating base: talent, time zone, territorial tax.
The build that works: San José hub + real licences (Curaçao, Kahnawake, Antigua, Panama) beside it. We deliver both ends.
The two builds
The San José hub - inside a licensed group.
Costa Rica sells operations, not permission. Our build pairs the base with real licences. One coherent architecture, delivered as one programme.
The San José operating hub, and the licensed group around it.
01 - THE OPERATING HUB
The San José base
The operating company done properly: Costa Rican entity, municipal permit, employment and premises for the team the industry comes here to hire. Trading, risk, support and retention at Central American cost.
The operating company done properly: Costa Rican entity, municipal permit, employment and premises for the team the industry comes here to hire. Trading, risk, support and retention at Central American cost.
- ✓Costa Rican operating entity
- ✓Municipal business permit - as it is
- ✓Employment and payroll architecture
- ✓The hemisphere's sportsbook talent
- ✓Americas time-zone operations
- ✓No licence pretence - ever
02 - THE LICENSED GROUP
Where permission livesThe licence, where it belongs
The gaming permissions your book needs. Obtained where they exist: Curaçao's LOK regime, Kahnawake, Antigua or Panama for the global book, regulated markets where you target them. Wired to the San José base, cleanly.
Licences where they exist: CGA, KGC, IGIWR, JCJ and regulated markets. Wired to the hub cleanly, banked properly.
- ✓Curaçao CGA · Kahnawake KGC
- ✓Antigua IGIWR · Panama JCJ
- ✓Regulated markets where targeted
- ✓Clean routing between entities
- ✓Group banking architecture
- ✓We build and sequence both ends
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins. For the San José hub and the licensing jurisdictions beside it, itemised separately, line by line.
Why Costa Rica, really
What San José is actually for.
Costa Rica earns its place on operations. The deepest gaming talent pool in the hemisphere, not on a licence it never issued.
✓
The talent pool
Three decades of sportsbook operations built a workforce no other city in the hemisphere matches. Traders, risk, VIP and support hired in weeks, not quarters.Hired in weeks.
✓
Americas time zones
Central Time operations covering both American continents natively. The operating clock the books actually run on.Native coverage.
✓
Territorial tax logic
Costa Rica taxes Costa Rican-source income. The operating hub's economics are planned cleanly under territorial rules.Clean hub economics.
✓
Cost-rational operations
Salaries, premises and services at Central American cost with first-world connectivity. The OPEX line the industry moved here for.The OPEX argument.
✓
Stability and rule of law
The region's oldest democracy, no army since 1948, and a professional-services sector used to international groups.The region's anchor.
✓
A known, stated role
Everyone serious knows what Costa Rica is. The operating base. Groups that structure it cleanly bank; those waving 'data processing licences' do not.The clean version banks.
How it compares
How Costa Rica differs from licensed routes.
The comparison in plain terms: an operations jurisdiction. The licence column is empty by design.
Costa Rica vs licensed jurisdictions
| Feature |  Costa Rica | Licensed routes |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming licence | None - no regime exists | CGA, KGC, IGIWR, JCJ |
| What you get | Operating base + permit | The licence itself |
| Talent | The hemisphere's deepest | Varies |
| Role | Hub inside a group | The regulated core |
Gaming licence
Costa RicaNone - no regime exists
Licensed routesCGA, KGC, IGIWR, JCJ
What you get
Costa RicaOperating base + permit
Licensed routesThe licence itself
Talent
Costa RicaThe hemisphere's deepest
Licensed routesVaries
Role
Costa RicaHub inside a group
Licensed routesThe regulated core
Country by country
| Country | Status | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Rica | No gaming licence - base only | Territorial | Municipal permit + real licences |
 Curaçao | CGA online gaming | 22% profit tax | BV + resident director |
 Panama | JCJ internet gaming | Territorial + JCJ terms | Panamanian entity, JCJ file |
 Antigua | Interactive gaming · wagering | IGIWR fees | Audits, KYC |
Costa RicaStatusNo gaming licence - base only
TaxationTerritorial
RequirementsMunicipal permit + real licences
CuraçaoStatusCGA online gaming
Taxation22% profit tax
RequirementsBV + resident director
PanamaStatusJCJ internet gaming
TaxationTerritorial + JCJ terms
RequirementsPanamanian entity, JCJ file
AntiguaStatusInteractive gaming · wagering
TaxationIGIWR fees
RequirementsAudits, KYC
Before you build
What a compliant Costa Rica setup contains.What a compliant setup contains.
No licence does not mean no standards. The operating hub still has to pass the group's questions. A build that survives looks like this.
01
A Costa Rican entity. Incorporated properly, with the municipal business permit for its actual activity.
02
No licence pretence. The permit described as what it is; 'data processing licence' marketing is a liability, not an asset.
03
A licensed group beside the hub. Gaming permissions living in jurisdictions that actually issue them.
04
Clean routing, which entity holds licences, which operates, which employs. Written down and followed.
05
Employment architecture. Costa Rican labour law compliance for the team the hub exists to hire.
06
Premises and operations. The real office the group's diligence will photograph.
07
Service agreements. The hub's role papered at group standard between entities.
08
AML/CFT discipline. Group-standard KYC run where the licences require it, supported from the hub.
09
Banking reality. Operating accounts matched to the hub's service role, player funds where the licences sit.
10
Territorial tax planning. The hub's economics modelled under Costa Rican rules before launch.
01
CR entity + real permit.
02
No licence pretence.
03
Licensed group beside it.
04
Routing written, followed.
05
Labour law compliance.
06
Real premises.
07
Service agreements papered.
08
Group-standard AML.
09
Banking matched to role.
10
Territorial tax modelled.
Reflects Costa Rican practice as of 2026, and the accurate description of it.Costa Rican practice, described accurately.
How it works
From first call to a working group.
01
Architecture and reality check
Where your players are, which licences that requires, and what San José's role should be. Fixed in writing.Players → licences → role.
02
The licence build
The licensed jurisdictions' applications run first. The long pole of the programme.The long pole, first.
03
The San José hub
Entity, permit, premises and the first hires. The operating base stood up.Entity, permit, hires.
04
Group wiring
Service agreements, routing and banking connecting hub and licences coherently.Papered, coherent.
05
Operations at scale
The talent pool hired, the book run from the right time zone. Structured cleanly throughout.The right time zone.
Quick facts
Gaming licenceDoes not exist
What existsMunicipal permit
Real productThe operating hub
TalentHemisphere's deepest
Time zoneAmericas native
Tax logicTerritorial
LicencesPaired - CW/KGC/AG/PA
SetupWeeks
Everyone serious knows what Costa Rica is. The groups that thrive are the ones that structure it as exactly that. We build to that standard.
On the ground in Costa Rica
Run from our San José office.
Prifinance - Costa Rica
San José · Costa Rica
San José, Costa Rica
01
Entity and permit
Costa Rican company and municipal permit done properly. Described accurately, structured to serve the group.As they are.
02
Employment and premises
The hiring architecture for the talent pool the industry comes here for. Labour law, payroll and the office done right.The pool, hired right.
03
The licensed group
Curaçao, Kahnawake, Antigua or Panama built beside the hub. Both ends sequenced as one programme.Both ends, one programme.
04
Rescue and restructuring
Sold a 'data processing licence' as a gaming permission? We restructure mis-sold setups into architectures that bank.Mis-sold setups fixed.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
Dubai
UAE
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Madeira
Portugal
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
The fiscal shape of a Costa Rica hub.
Territorial logic for an operating base. With the licence-side planning done where the licences live.
Territorial taxation
Costa Rica taxes Costa Rican-source income. The hub's service economics are planned cleanly under territorial rules.Hub planned cleanly.
No gaming tax
With no gaming regime there is no gaming tax. The hub pays ordinary business taxes on its service role.No regime exists.
Operating-cost efficiency
Central American cost base for the industry's most labour-intensive functions. The line that justifies the whole architecture.The whole argument.
Service-fee design
The hub earns arm's-length service fees from the licensed entities. Priced and papered to group standard.Arm's length, papered.
Employment costs
Costa Rican payroll and social charges on the team. Modelled into the OPEX plan as a line item.Modelled without wishful thinking.
Owner-level planning
Group and founder outcomes follow the licensed entities' seats and CFC rules. Modelled per structure.Follows the licences.
Fiscal summary
SystemTerritorial
Gaming taxNone - no regime
Hub economicsService fees, arm's length
PayrollCosta Rican rules
Planning levelGroup + owner
*As of 2026 per Costa Rican practice. Group and founder-level outcomes are modelled per structure, case by case.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: Costa Rican company, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a working, licensed group.
Follow Prifinance
Active across our channels.
Costa Rica · the real hub
Build your gaming operation with Costa Rica in its right place.
Full-service assistance - the San José hub formed cleanly, the licences obtained where they exist, and the group wired properly - run through our San José office.
Get a consultation →Free legal opinion
Is Costa Rica the right fit for your project?
Our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.
Written assessment within 2-5 business days
Request a free conclusion →FAQ
The Costa Rica gaming question - the questions we hear.
Is there an online gambling licence in Costa Rica?+
No. Costa Rica has no licensing regime for online gambling serving foreign players - no gaming authority, no gaming licence, no gaming tax. Companies operate under an ordinary municipal business permit.
What is the famous 'data processing licence'?+
Marketing language for the municipal business permit - a registration of ordinary commercial activity. It is not a gaming permission and authorises nothing in any other jurisdiction. Sellers who present it otherwise are selling a misunderstanding.
Then why is the industry here?+
Operations: three decades of sportsbooks built the hemisphere's deepest gaming talent pool - traders, risk, support, retention - in the Americas' time zones at Central American cost. Costa Rica is the industry's operating base, and superb at exactly that.
Is operating from Costa Rica legal?+
The Costa Rican side is ordinary business activity under the permit. The gaming side is governed by the jurisdictions where your players are and your licences sit, which is why the licensed group around the hub is the architecture that works.
What licences should sit beside the hub?+
Per your book: Curaçao's rebuilt CGA regime or Kahnawake for the global book, Antigua for the heritage flag, Panama for JCJ coverage, and regulated-market licences where you target them. We map players to permissions precisely.
How fast is the setup?+
The San José entity and permit take weeks; hiring from the talent pool starts immediately after. The licences beside it are the long pole - started first, in parallel.
How is the hub taxed?+
Territorially: the hub earns arm's-length service fees taxed under Costa Rican rules, with payroll charges on the team. The gaming economics sit with the licensed entities - modelled per group before launch.
Will banks work with the structure?+
With the architecture that holds, yes - an operating hub with papered service roles inside a licensed group banks normally. The standalone 'data processing licence' casino is what does not.
I already operate on just a Costa Rican permit. What now?+
You are running unlicensed wherever your players are - a fixable position. We map your book, obtain the right licences and restructure the group without stopping operations; the sooner, the cheaper.
Why Prifinance for Costa Rica?+
A San José office, the hub built cleanly, the licences delivered where they exist, and mis-sold setups rescued into structures that bank - both ends, one programme.
Licence?+
None - no regime exists.
'Data processing'?+
A municipal permit, renamed.
Why here?+
The operating talent pool.
Legal?+
Hub yes; licences elsewhere.
Which licences?+
CW/KGC/AG/PA per book.
Speed?+
Hub in weeks.
Taxes?+
Territorial service fees.
Banks?+
Clean builds bank.
Permit-only now?+
Fixable - we restructure.
Why you?+
Both ends, one roof.
Client notes
Google4.7★★★★★
Founders who wanted it done right.
Google4.7★★★★★
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Google
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Get a free legal opinion on your project - our legal team will analyze your case at no cost and provide a written legal opinion: which jurisdiction, licence scope, or route fits your business.Free legal opinion: what Costa Rica can and cannot do for your project.
✓Written legal opinion within 2-5 business days - free of charge✓A clear recommendation on the right licence scope, not a sales pitch✓Transparent fixed fees, confirmed up front✓EN · RU · ES speaking team
Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of Costa Rican municipal and commercial authorities or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.