How long does the application process usually take?
All applications will be processed as efficiently as possible but the time required varies with:-
​
-
The completeness and accuracy of the application
-
The complexity of the ownership structure and the commercial proposition
-
The commercial readiness and preparations of the applicant and their ability to respond quickly to questions arising in the investigation process
​
The application and approval process splits into three pieces- suitability, fair games and adequate processes. The process runs as follows.
​
-
Suitability – the average licence approval takes 60 days from receipt of the application, although the spread can be from within a month to greater than a year. The critical delay factor is the time taken by the applicant to respond to due diligence questions.
​
-
Fair Games – the average initial equipment approval takes 60 days. Best and worst variations within this are extreme, reflecting the quality of submissions, and the speed and focus of response; the norm is less than 2 months. New games approvals take an average of 21 days to grant from initial application; again there is a wide variation within this average, with better results being routinely achieved by applicants with existing testing house relationships, good software development teams and focused project management.
​
-
Adequate Processes – the average initial ICS approval takes 70 days. The Commission’s final ICS review is normally completed within a week of receipt. The difference between the two being that initial submissions are frequently incomplete and unfocused- again the difference between good applications and unfocused applications is stark.
The three processes can be run in parallel or in series; neither time line is likely to be a simple arithmetic product of the above. The “in-parallel” applicant will usually take a little longer than the time required for games testing, to complete all three components. The “in-series” applicant will normally be able to progress ICS and games testing together.
​
Live activation is routinely achievable, from the Commission’s side, within six months of initial application. Delivery time is, in practice, dependent on the applicant’s ability to plan and focus- there is little to prevent the Commission from moving at the same speed as the applicant in its progress towards live activation.