Gambling License  Costa Rica- Offshore Gambling License

Our law firm - i.e. the network partners of the Low Tax Network - form companies with gambling licenses on the Isle of Man, Malta, Gibraltar, England and other countries (for example: Belize, Antigua, Barbuda, Costa Rica, Kahnawake) for our clients, … key to the realization of an online gambling offering (online casino, online betting, lottery, sports betting, the company offers services itself or as a reseller). We welcome the opportunity to provide these services to companies who provide gambling software. We provide consulting in the selection of the seat country and the required license, as an additional service within the scope of the "tax planning" (seat country and/or "affiliated companies").

Learn more: Gambling LicenCeS And BASIC CONSIDERATIONS FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS -Our exposee regarding Gambling licences can be downloaded here

Gambling License (online casino-sports betting-gaming license): Costa Rica

It is legal to conduct this businesses activity in Costa Rica and you only need:

  • A Costa Rican corporation or company registered in Costa Rica.
  • Registration with the tax authorities.
  • A land use permit.
  • A permit from Ministry of Health.
  • A commercial license.

In practice, you do not require a license for Internet gambling, but you do require a commercial license.

Costa Rica has legislation to restrict land based gambling, but according to the legal system, those laws are not interpreted as extending to Internet gambling.

ETC will register the corporation and obtain the permits required from all governmental institutions.

Once this is done we obtain the Commercial License in the name of the corporation so the client is sure that his company will have no impediments to develop the intended objective.

To this end, most corporations registered in Costa Rica, obtain a license.

In order to create a corporation in Costa Rica that will allow for licensing, it must deal in network administration or internet administration. All internet addresses from Costa Rica must be blocked from the server, since it is Costa Rica's strict policy that none of their citizens participate in online gambling. One must also create an offshore merchant account to deal with the transactions.

The requirements to obtain this license are:

  • Office lease contract.
  • Health permit.
  • Workers insurance policy.
  • A Costa Rican registered corporation.

Due to the absence of legislation and oversight for online gambling, companies based in or registered through Costa Rica are not subject to monitoring or other regulations that many offshore companies are. This also means that since there isn't a body to govern gambling, companies are self-regulated and not required to pay betting or gambling tax.

Costa Rican taxation for Limitada (Ltda.) or Sociedad Anomina (AG) companies:

  • Exempt Companies (companies that only do business outside Costa Rica) are not taxed
  • However, Costa Rica does have a provision for deduction of tax at source on dividends remitted out of Costa Rica: 15% in the case of registered shares and 5% in the case of bearer shares. As Costa Rica has no DTA (double taxation agreement) with other countries, the tax at source cannot be tax deducted, yet counts as an expense.

Gambling License Costa Rica and Fees for registering Limitada (Ltda.) companies with the register of companies in Costa Rica:

-Initial outlay including special services (establishing a company, entry into the register, apostille, translations of register documents, Reg.Office for the first year, Sec. for the first year, nominee director in the founding phase, registered or bearer shares, account opening including online banking, VisaCard and cheques):  2,500.00 Euro net, plus notary fees (800- 1,500 USD, depending on share capital. 1,500 USD in the case of share capital over 235,000 USD).

-Annual fees from the second year (Sec., Registered Office, administration):  700 USD

The purely state fees are:

  • -In the case of bearer shares 3% on the share capital per annum
  • -Fiscal: 50- 200 USD per annum

-EU-account: Opening a company account at a large Cyprian bank, including internet banking and credit cards. Cyprus has very good banking confidentiality and does not pass on company account data, expect in the case of suspected money laundering or terrorism. An account can also be opened for bearer shares; our client does not have to travel to Cyprus to open an account: 1,500.00 Euro

Costa Rican fiscal extradition agreement: only in the case of tax fraud that meets fraud criteria under domestic laws.

Double taxation agreement: none

Costa Rican company structures

The Limitada (Ltda.) is a company with limited liability. A Ltda. is founded by means of a founding treaty recorded by a notary public, with at least two founding partners, entry into the register of companies and publication in the local official journal. The share capital is divided into company shares whereby the extent of the voting rights of each of the partners reflects the size of his share in the company (contribution made).

In contrast to the Costa Rican public company, a control body does not have to be established for this type of company. 

The Costa Rican public company called Sociedad Anomina (the common abbreviation used is S.A.) is founded with registered shares. Company shareholders are recorded by name whether they hold one, several or all shares and thus the “Anonima” addendum should not be understood to indicate total anonymity.

As with the Ltda., an S.A. is founded by means of a founding treaty recorded by a notary public, with a minimum of two founding partners, entry into the register of companies and publication in the local official Journal.

Shares can be issued, including preference shares, in accordance with the requirements of the company. The S.A. is the most common form of company, as it corresponds to the wide range of company founding requirements of small or private enterprises to large companies. 

A public company is managed by an executive board or a board of directors. This panel consists of at least three members: a president, a secretary and a treasurer. Both shareholders and persons outside the company may be members of the board. The elected board members are entered into the register of companies. In addition, a control body is established in the form of a (fiscal) auditor, usually this is also the company lawyer. 

An interesting aspect of the public company: it can continue to exist with just one remaining partner.

Gambling License Costa Rica

Costa Rica has become the Mecca of on-line casinos and online gambling corporations because it has the best infrastructure available in the Caribbean basin. Costa Rica has a reliable telecommunication system, highly trained multilingual workers, and a lack of online gaming and Internet regulations.
A lot of online casinos and other betting and gambling corporations have chosen Costa Rica as registration country because of the fact that there are no direct prohibition on gambling business and no necessity to receive a special license to execute these kinds of activities.
In Costa Rica there are more than 200 online gambling companies, without a legislation specifically dealing with online gambling and gaming over the Internet.
There is legislation to restrict land-based gambling, but according to the legal system these laws are not interpreted as extended to Internet gambling.
As no specific license is required, these gambling corporations work under a “data processing license” which must be obtained in the Municipality (City hall). To obtain any license in Costa Rica the corporation must have a physical office in Costa Rica. Quality Solutions can assist you to obtain this license; we open a physical place in the name of the corporation, register the corporation and obtain the permits in all governmental institutions required, and fulfill any other specific requirement according to the zone where the physical place is going to be open.
Once this is done we obtain the legal “data processing license” in the name of the corporation so the client is sure that his or her company will have no impediments to develop the intended objective.

The requirements to obtain the license are:

Power of attorney authorizing members from our staff to process the license.

Office Lease Contract. (We rent the place and create the respective contract).

Health permit. (We obtain the health permit in the corresponding institution).

Workers insurance policy.

Requirements to hire this service from Quality Solutions:

 

  • Own a Costa Rican Corporation.
  • Power of attorney authorizing members from our staff to process and obtain the license. (The text of this power of attorney will be provided by Quality Solutions, and it must be issued by the correspondent Costa Rican Consul in the country of origin of the applicant).

Learn more: Gambling License And BASIC CONSIDERATIONS FOR SERVICE PROVIDERS