Glossary
Turnkey vs white label: which iGaming platform model is which?
Turnkey and white label both give you a ready casino platform. The difference is who holds the licence, who owns the brand and the players, and what you pay.
Updated
Definition
A white label is a complete gaming site operated under the provider's licence and infrastructure: the provider holds the licence, the player accounts and usually the payment contracts; the client supplies a brand and the players. A turnkey solution is the same platform delivered to an operator that holds, or is obtaining, its own licence: the operator owns the player relationship, chooses payment providers and content, and carries the regulatory duties. (source: UK Gambling Commission on white-label partnerships, iGaming Times guide)
Both are ready-made compared with building a platform from source. The line between them is ownership: of the licence, of the player data, and of the operating risk. Revenue-share models, where the provider carries the licence and operation and the owner keeps a share of NGR, sit on the white-label side of that line. (source: iGaming Times guide)
Example
Two founders want to launch a crypto casino brand. Founder A takes a white label: live in weeks under the provider's licence, pays a share of NGR and some fixed fees, cannot choose payment providers outside the provider's list, and would have to migrate players to leave. Founder B takes turnkey: applies for a licence (months, legal and capital costs), signs its own payment and content contracts, pays platform fees, and owns everything, including the compliance work. Same software; different business.
Formula
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White label cost = setup fee (if any) + share of NGR to the provider + fixed monthly fees (if any). The owner keeps the rest of NGR. (source: iGaming Times guide)
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Turnkey cost = licence (application, capital, annual fees) + platform fee (setup + monthly or a smaller share of GGR/NGR) + content fees (share of GGR) + payment fees + compliance staff. The operator keeps everything else. (source: iGaming Times guide)
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Break-even thought experiment (illustrative): if turnkey fixed costs are 40,000 USDT a month and a white label takes 30% of NGR, turnkey is cheaper only above about 133,000 USDT NGR a month, before counting the licence time and capital.
Comparison
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Licence: white label = provider's; turnkey = your own. (source: UK Gambling Commission on white-label partnerships)
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Time to launch: white label = weeks; turnkey = months, dominated by licensing. (source: iGaming Times guide)
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Player accounts and data: white label = held by the provider under its licence (contract decides access and portability); turnkey = yours. (source: UK Gambling Commission on white-label partnerships)
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Payments: white label = the provider's processors and wallets; turnkey = your contracts. (source: iGaming Times guide)
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Games: both usually through an aggregator; turnkey can add direct studio deals. (Aggregator vs White Label)
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Upfront capital: white label = low or zero; turnkey = licence capital and fees before the first player.
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Share of revenue kept: white label = your share of NGR by contract; turnkey = all revenue minus fees and taxes.
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Responsibility: white label = provider carries AML, KYC and regulator reporting; turnkey = the operator does. (source: UK Gambling Commission on white-label partnerships)
Impact on the owner
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Choose by what you have: a licence and capital point to turnkey; players, a brand or an audience and no licence point to white label or a revenue-share model.
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Read the exit clause. In a white label the provider holds the accounts; what you can take with you if you leave is the most important line in the contract. (source: UK Gambling Commission on white-label partnerships)
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Count the total, not the percentage. A higher NGR share with fixed fees can cost more than a lower share with none at your volume; run the two formulas with your expected NGR.
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Regulatory exposure is real on both sides: under a white label you still answer for your marketing and your players' conduct under the provider's rules.
How it works in practice
In a white label the provider provisions a new skin on its platform: domain, logo, colours, lobby selection and promotions are configured in a back office; player registration, wallets, KYC and payouts run on the provider's systems under its licence; the owner receives a monthly statement with GGR, deductions and the NGR share. In turnkey the operator first secures a licence, then installs or subscribes to the platform, connects its own payment providers and aggregators, sets up compliance reporting and only then opens registration. Many providers offer both, and some let a white-label brand move to turnkey later once it holds a licence. (source: UK Gambling Commission on white-label partnerships, iGaming Times guide)
FAQ
- In structure yes: the provider holds the licence and operation and the owner is paid a share of NGR. The contract defines what the owner controls.
- Often yes, once you hold a licence; player migration depends on the contract and the regulator.
- White label at low volume; turnkey at high volume once licence costs are sunk. Run the numbers for your expected NGR.
- Under a white label, the licence holder holds the accounts; access and portability are contractual. Under turnkey, you do. (source: UK Gambling Commission on white-label partnerships)
- Turnkey, yes, the licence is issued to a company. White-label and revenue-share models vary; the provider's onboarding rules decide.