Turnkey vs White Label Casino: Which Model Fits Your Goals?

TL;DR: A white label casino lets you launch under an existing operator’s licence and infrastructure — fastest and simplest, but you trade control and a larger revenue share (from €15,000 setup + 7% GGR). A turnkey casino gives you your own company, your own licence and full control, at a lower ongoing fee (from €15,000 setup + 5% GGR). Both launch in about 14 days. Choose white label for speed and simplicity; choose turnkey for control, brand ownership and better long-term economics.

The two models in one sentence

White label means you operate under someone else’s legal and technical umbrella; turnkey means you own the operation and we build the technology under it. Everything else — cost structure, control, compliance burden, speed — flows from that single difference. Getting this decision right at the start saves you from an expensive migration later, so it is worth understanding properly before you commit.

White label: the fastest way to market

A white label casino is a ready-to-run platform that operates under the provider’s master licence and, often, their payment and compliance rails. You bring the brand and the marketing; the provider handles the legal structure, hosting, game aggregation and support. Because you are not obtaining your own licence or negotiating your own contracts with studios and payment providers, you can be live in roughly 14 days.

The trade-offs are real. You operate inside the provider’s framework, so you have less control over configuration, and you pay a higher share of gross gaming revenue — with SoftVault, white label is from €15,000 setup plus 7% GGR, against a €2,000 monthly minimum. For a first-time operator testing a market, or anyone who wants to avoid the complexity of incorporation and licensing entirely, that premium buys speed and simplicity that are hard to beat. If you want the full cost picture, we break it down in our guide to how much a white label casino costs.

Turnkey: control and better long-term economics

A turnkey casino is built on your own legal foundation. You have your own company and your own gaming licence, you hold your own agreements with game and payment providers, and SoftVault provides and maintains the platform underneath. Because you carry that legal and commercial overhead yourself, the ongoing platform fee is lower — from €15,000 setup plus 5% GGR rather than 7%.

The upside is ownership: full control of your brand, your player relationships, your bonus logic and your data, plus a smaller revenue share paid away over the life of the business. The cost is a bit more setup work — you need a company and a licence. That is not as daunting as it sounds; our licensing and regulation team typically pairs a Belize or Costa Rica company with an Anjouan gaming licence (around €20,000–22,000 per year, issued in roughly 6–8 weeks), and our licensing service starts from €19,200. If you want the whole journey end to end, see our step-by-step guide on how to start an online casino.

Side by side

The decision usually comes down to five factors:

• Licence: white label uses ours; turnkey uses yours.
• Control: white label is managed and standardised; turnkey is fully configurable.
• Ongoing fee: 7% GGR (white label) vs 5% GGR (turnkey).
• Setup effort: minimal (white label) vs company + licence (turnkey).
• Speed: both around 14 days for a standard build.

What both models include

Whichever route you take, the platform itself is the same modern stack: full game aggregation connecting you to 130+ studios and 12,000+ titles through one integration, payment solutions spanning 300+ providers and 50+ cryptocurrencies, a complete back office for players, bonuses and reporting, and a 14-day launch. The difference is who owns the licence and how much control sits in your hands — not the quality of the technology.

So which one is right for you?

Choose white label if your priority is getting to market fast with the least friction, you would rather not deal with incorporation and licensing, and you are comfortable operating inside a managed framework. Choose turnkey if you want to own your brand and licence outright, keep a larger share of revenue as you scale, and have full control over how the casino runs. Many operators start white label to validate a market, then move to turnkey once the numbers justify owning the stack — and if that is your plan, it is worth designing for it from day one.

Frequently asked questions

Is turnkey more expensive than white label?

The setup fee is the same (from €15,000), and turnkey’s ongoing GGR fee is actually lower (5% vs 7%). Turnkey’s extra cost is the licence and company you obtain — an investment that pays back through greater control and a smaller revenue share over time.

Can I switch from white label to turnkey later?

Yes. A common path is to launch white label, prove the market, then migrate to your own licence and turnkey setup. Planning for it early makes the transition far smoother.

How fast can I launch either one?

Both launch in around 14 days for a standard configuration. Heavy customisation or add-ons such as a sportsbook can extend that, and we will always be upfront about the timeline.

Not sure which fits your plans? Book a demo and we will map the right model to your goals — and have you live in 14 days.