But what exactly stands behind the white label format? How does it work in legal, operational, and commercial terms – and what are the implications of building a business on someone else’s infrastructure?
As the iGaming market continues to fragment across jurisdictions, and as compliance becomes more local and layered, the relevance of different operational models – white label included – is being reassessed.
This article provides a clear overview of the white-label casino model: its structure, advantages, and limitations, as well as how it compares to alternative approaches such as turnkey or fully independent operations. Whether you are exploring the market for the first time or reevaluating an existing setup, the goal is to give the clarity needed to make informed, forward-looking decisions.
A white-label casino is a fully managed online gambling platform provided by a third-party company that holds a valid online gambling licence. The operator – meaning the business launching the brand – gets access to this infrastructure and runs their casino under their own brand, domain, and marketing strategy, but without having to apply for a licence or develop the software from scratch.
In other words, it’s a casino business operating under the provider’s licence, using their payment systems, game integrations, and compliance framework, while focusing on growth, branding, and audience management.
It's also used in cases where internal licensing is difficult or where short-term market presence is the primary goal.
Every white-label partnership is defined by the contract between the provider and the operator, but in general, the following is included:
The provider typically covers:
The operator is responsible for:
In this setup, the legal accountability lies with the licence holder – the platform provider. That is part of what makes the model appealing: operators are shielded from direct compliance obligations, especially in the early stages.
However, the boundaries between operator and provider can vary. Some white label setups give more control over frontend development, while others remain relatively fixed in terms of design and feature sets.
The white label structure relies entirely on the licence owned by the provider. That’s the mechanism that makes it legally viable – and it’s also where many practical limitations emerge.
It is important to clarify: white label is not a separate type of licence. It’s a use case made possible when a provider’s licence allows them to operate multiple branded projects under their own regulatory umbrella. The operator, in this case, essentially rents a space under that umbrella, gaining access to the licence, platform, and operational framework without holding a licence of their own.
Licences issued by jurisdictions that allow this kind of setup are commonly referred to as international licences, .com licences (as they operate globally), or offshore licences. These typically include Curaçao, Malta (B2B), Kahnawake, the Isle of Man, and Anjouan.
The type of licence a white label setup is based on also defines:
The appeal of the white label approach often lies in its simplicity – not in terms of the product, which can be complex and robust, but in the way it allows businesses to enter the market with fewer structural dependencies. For certain profiles of operators, this has offered real strategic value.
In practical terms, the benefits tend to focus on a few core areas:
Setting up a licensed online casino independently can take anywhere from several months to well over a year, depending on the jurisdiction, licensing process, and infrastructure. A white label platform shortens that path considerably.
In some cases, launch timelines can be measured in weeks, especially when working with experienced providers that offer streamlined onboarding.
One of the main distinctions of the white label model is that the operator does not need to secure their own gambling licence. Instead, they operate under the provider’s authorisation, which simplifies legal onboarding and avoids the need to interact directly with regulators. For businesses entering a space where licensing is either cost-prohibitive or jurisdictionally restrictive, this can be decisive.
White-label platforms typically include full access to a pre-integrated stack of technologies, including game content, payment gateways, KYC/AML tools, CRM features, and sometimes affiliate tracking systems. These are not bolt-on modules; they are usually native to the platform and tested across multiple projects.
By working within an existing environment, operators avoid the initial investment required to licence, certify, host, and maintain a custom-built system. This is especially relevant in early-stage projects, or for groups looking to validate a market hypothesis before committing to long-term infrastructure.
Maintenance, software updates, hosting, and compliance monitoring are all handled by the provider. This enables the operator to focus on commercial performance, while the platform team remains responsible for uptime, feature development, and risk management.
Some of the advantages of this model – like shared infrastructure – can also be found in other ways of launching an online gambling business, which we will explore further below.
It is important to stress that these advantages don’t apply equally to every use case. Much depends on the level of autonomy an operator requires, the geographic markets they target, and the long-term vision they hold for the business. Still, within a clearly scoped context, white label models can provide operational clarity and an efficient starting point.
The very factors that make the white label appealing are also what define its limits.
The provider’s licence defines where the white label casino can operate and where it can not. If the platform is licensed in Curaçao, for example, it may not be permitted to onboard players from jurisdictions with localised, restricted regimes (such as Germany or the UK). Expanding into such markets later would typically require a full re-platforming under a different structure.
Even when fully compliant, some white label setups face perception challenges, particularly in regulated markets or among more risk-sensitive affiliates and partners. In B2B conversations, the distinction between a licensed operator and a white label operator is often material. Some partners may have policies around who they work with based on these criteria.
For projects that succeed and begin to grow, the constraints of the white label format can become more visible. Migrating from white label to independent operation (for instance, turnkey or self-licensed) is possible, but it involves cost, technical complexity, and a new compliance process.
Operators using white label platforms typically cannot modify the core backend or payment logic, nor can they select their own game providers or PSPs unless those options are already part of the provider’s ecosystem. This can restrict innovation and make feature differentiation more difficult.
While the frontend is custom-branded, the operational core remains uniform across all white label clients of the provider. This can lead to technical or UX similarities between multiple projects on the same platform – sometimes noticeable even to players. In competitive regions, that can be a liability.
White label is just one of several ways to structure an online casino business. While it prioritises simplicity and speed, other models place more emphasis on control, scalability, or direct compliance. Understanding how these options differ – not only in technical scope, but also in regulatory posture and long-term viability – is essential when choosing a path forward.
Below is a comparative overview of the three most common operational formats used in iGaming.
| Aspect | White Label | Turnkey | Self-Hosted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence Ownership | Provided by the platform owner | Requires operator to hold own licence | Operator holds and manages their own licence |
| Compliance Responsibility | Handled by the provider | Shared: provider handles tech compliance, operator manages licence obligations | Fully managed by the operator |
| Time to Market | Fast, from a few weeks to a few months | Moderate, depends on licensing and onboarding process | Longest, full setup and platform development may take years |
| Upfront Investment | Lower | Moderate | High: licensing, certification, platform build |
| Technical Control | Limited – fixed platform environment | Partial with possible deeper customisation depending on the tech provider | Full – complete control over tech stack and integrations |
| Branding Flexibility | Moderate – within provider’s constraints, user includes logo and brand colours | Higher | Full control |
| Scalability | Limited – tied to provider’s infrastructure and licence | High – depending on provider’s capacity and integration models | Highest – operator defines architecture and partnerships, limited by their own possibilities |
| Regulatory Reach | Defined by provider’s licence | Depends on operator’s licensing scope | Operator determines licensing strategy per market |
Each model has its use cases. White label solutions tend to work best where the focus is on testing a market hypothesis, monetising traffic without infrastructure, or launching quickly in soft-regulated environments. Turnkey setups balance control and efficiency, while fully licensed platforms allow complete autonomy – but at a higher operational and regulatory cost.
For operators seeking more control without assuming the full operational and regulatory weight of building from scratch, turnkey casino solutions have emerged as a balanced alternative. They offer licensed or licence-ready technical solutions and ongoing technical support while allowing the operator to hold and manage their own gambling licence.
In essence, the turnkey model separates infrastructure from compliance. The provider delivers the core software stack, including the game hub, back office, payment modules, and hosting; the operator is responsible for obtaining a licence, meeting jurisdictional requirements, and defining the business logic around branding, positioning, and market strategy.
This structure is particularly relevant in:
It also supports a gradual path. Some operators start with a white label model to validate a market, then migrate to a turnkey setup once traction is established. Others build directly on turnkey infrastructure to ensure scalability from the beginning.
What sets turnkey apart is not just the ability to customise or to scale, but the ownership of regulatory accountability. For partners, affiliates, and financial institutions, this distinction can carry weight, especially in jurisdictions where licensing and oversight are tied to consumer protection frameworks.
Learn more about the SOFTSWISS Turnkey Casino Solution, or explore the full capabilities of the SOFTSWISS Casino Platform.
White label remains a practical construct – especially in cases where a clear operational scope, limited licensing bandwidth, or short-term positioning defines the business plan. It continues to serve specific roles within the broader structure of iGaming, and for some, remains the right place to begin.
But with the increasing complexity of regulatory environments and the shift toward more accountable, jurisdiction-sensitive operations, platform decisions start to take on more weight than they once did – not because the model itself has changed, but because the context around it has.
What is often overlooked is not the model’s capability but its relationship to the direction of the business. Infrastructure is not and can not be neutral. It frames how products behave, how growth unfolds, and how markets respond – whether that is visible at launch or not.
Seeing it clearly at the start tends to leave more room later – to scale, to shift, or to refine the position with fewer trade-offs than expected.
