Updated October 2026

This guide is for general information and is not legal advice. Confirm your plan with your own gaming counsel before you launch.

Short answer: Compare six things in order: whose licence your brand runs under, the operating model (white label or turnkey), the commercial terms, payment and KYC coverage, uptime and support, and exit terms. A provider that cannot put each one in writing for your target markets should not make your shortlist. Ask for licence details, the full fee schedule and the exit clause before any demo.

What should a founder compare when choosing a white-label provider?

Most provider decks look alike, and the differences appear after signing. An iGamingHub scoring guide from April 2026 makes the same point: the gaps show up in support hours, uptime terms and exit clauses, not in demos. The table below turns the selection into six questions you can put to any provider, ours included.

Criterion	Question to ask	What a good answer looks like	How our platform handles it
Licensing	Which licence will my brand run under, and in which markets?	A named licence and a written list of markets it covers	Operators can launch under our Anjouan gaming license, and our licensing covers many countries across different regions
Operating model	White label or turnkey, and who runs daily operations?	A clear split of duties in the contract	We run the platform and the operations team behind your brand
Commercial terms	What are the setup fee, monthly fee and revenue share?	A full fee schedule, with GGR or NGR stated	Two published plans, described below
Payments and KYC	Which payment methods, and who verifies players?	Methods for your market, plus identity and fraud checks	Fiat and crypto payment integrations, player KYC, anti-fraud and anti-bonus abuse
Uptime and support	What uptime is promised, and who answers at night?	A written uptime figure and 24/7 support	24/7 customer support
Exit terms	What happens to my players and data if I leave?	Written data and migration terms	Ask us on the demo and get it in writing

Use the table as a scorecard. Give each provider the same questions and compare the written answers side by side. A market map from Track360 (May 2026) suggests the same approach: apply one consistent set of questions to every shortlisted vendor so you compare like for like.

Whose licence will your brand run under?

Start here, because nothing else matters if the answer does not fit your market. iGamingHub separates two questions hidden inside “are you licensed”: whether the vendor holds a supplier authorisation, and whether it can operate you under its own licence. The second is the white-label model, and iGamingHub notes that it is cheaper and faster but means you do not own the licence relationship.

Ask for a named licence, the markets it covers and the contract terms if you later move to your own licence. Treat “we support that jurisdiction” without a licence name as an incomplete answer.

A short note on the United States. Each US state licenses real-money casino and sportsbook operators itself, and the operator applies for that license. For sweepstakes, we provide a sweepstakes-based framework supported by a legal opinion. Whichever model you pick, follow the local laws and licensing requirements of every market you target. For our broader view of this question, read our guide on whether the provider covers your licence.

White label or turnkey: which fits a first brand?

iGaming Times (updated September 2026) describes white label as a brand running on the provider’s licence, infrastructure and operation, and turnkey as the operator holding its own licence and buying the platform. The ranges below come from that guide and vary by provider and contract.

Factor	White label	Turnkey
Licence	Brand runs on the provider’s licence	Operator holds its own licence
Time to launch	Weeks	Three to nine months
Typical upfront cost	A few thousand to tens of thousands	Tens to hundreds of thousands
Typical revenue share	10 to 30 per cent of NGR, or a monthly fee plus a smaller share	5 to 15 per cent of NGR, lower at scale
Control and exit	Provider decides products, payments and markets; leaving is hard	More control; switching platforms is a six to eighteen month migration

The same guide calls white label a fit for testing a brand, an audience or a market, and for media businesses or affiliates adding a branded casino to monetise their own traffic. It calls turnkey the default for a serious new operator in a regulated market. Pick the model that matches who you are today, then check that the contract lets you change course.

How do commercial models compare?

Commercial terms shape your unit economics for years. iGamingHub lists three common models: revenue share, a fixed fee (setup plus flat monthly licence), and a hybrid. Of the 44 platforms it catalogues, 30 list revenue share as the primary model, 7 list hybrid and 7 list fixed. It also says 30% to 50% of GGR is not unusual for a full white-label package, while iGaming Times gives 10 to 30 per cent of NGR as a typical range. The gap is a reminder to check whether a quote is on GGR or NGR and what it includes.

• Ask for the setup fee, monthly fee and revenue share in one schedule.
• Ask what is billed separately, such as game content and payment processing.
• Ask for volume tiers and for the contract length and renewal terms.

Our own plans are published on maincard.io. One has a $4,999 one-time setup fee, a $799 monthly subscription and 20% of GGR. The other has a $19,999 one-time setup fee, no monthly subscription and 20% of GGR. Both include the full stack. Check the site for current terms before you compare.

What should you check on payments, KYC and support?

Payments decide how many visitors become paying players. iGamingHub recommends several acquiring relationships, local methods for each launch market, and fiat and crypto rails where they fit your market. It also warns about undisclosed processing markups, so ask what you will actually pay by method.

On compliance tooling, iGamingHub lists a minimum set: integrated KYC, AML monitoring, responsible gambling controls and regulatory reporting. Ask which of these are built in and which you must add.

For uptime, do the arithmetic. iGamingHub calculates that 99.5% availability allows almost 44 hours of downtime a year, and 99.9% about 8.8 hours. Only 23 of its 44 catalogued platforms publish an uptime SLA, so ask for the figure in writing.

Which questions should you ask on every demo?

• Which licence will my brand run under, and which markets does it cover?
• Which tasks do you run, and which stay with my team?
• What is the full fee schedule, and is revenue share on GGR or NGR?
• Which payment methods, KYC checks and fraud tools are included?
• What uptime do you commit to, and who answers support at night?
• What happens to players and data if I leave? Our guide to switching platform providers explains why this matters.

How does Maincard help with choosing and launching on a white-label platform?

The hard part of choosing a provider is knowing what you will run yourself. We are a white-label provider: you bring the audience and the brand, and we run the platform, design and launch, licensing, fiat and crypto payment integrations, player KYC, anti-fraud and anti-bonus abuse checks, CRM and affiliate platform integration, and 24/7 customer support. You do not need to build or staff those pieces, and you need no development team of your own.

On a demo, ask us to walk through the six questions in the table above, show how the licensing terms apply to your target markets, and explain what stays with your team. You can also open our builder. Start at maincard.io. We do not promise approvals or results, and we will tell you plainly where a market needs a licence you must apply for yourself.

FAQ

What is the difference between white label and turnkey?

Under white label, your brand runs on the provider’s licence, infrastructure and operation. Under turnkey, you hold your own licence and buy the platform. White label launches faster and costs less upfront, while turnkey gives more control and data ownership. Our own comparison of alternatives for small operators covers shortlisting in more depth.

Does a white-label provider cover licensing?

It depends on the provider, so ask for the licence name and the markets it covers. We offer licensing as part of our white-label offer, and operators can launch under our Anjouan gaming license. For US real-money casino and sportsbook, each state licenses operators itself.

How much does a white-label platform cost?

iGaming Times gives a setup fee from a few thousand to tens of thousands and a revenue share of 10 to 30 per cent of NGR as typical ranges. Quotes vary, so compare full fee schedules. Our plans are listed on maincard.io.

How fast can I launch?

iGaming Times says white label launches in weeks, while turnkey takes three to nine months. Your timeline depends on design, payments and the markets you target.

How do we handle the questions in this guide?

On a demo we walk through licensing terms, who runs which task, fees, payments, KYC, support and exit terms, and you can ask for the answers in writing. We also help you understand licensing terms and offer optional support through licensed third parties for compliance audits, regulatory filings and country-specific legal vetting.