The MGA casino licence: Malta's rulebook, from the player's chair

How a small island became the address

Malta passed its first remote gaming regulations in 2004, the year it joined the European Union, and built an industry around them. The regulator was called the Lotteries and Gaming Authority until 2015, when it became the Malta Gaming Authority. Hundreds of gaming companies have offices in Sliema, St Julian's and around Valletta, and many of the studios whose games you play are licensed there too.

For an Irish player the attraction of a Maltese licence is straightforward: it is issued inside the EU, under a detailed and public rulebook, by an authority that has been doing the job for over twenty years.

The Gaming Act 2018 in two minutes

The current framework is the Gaming Act, which came into force on 1 August 2018 and replaced the old system of numbered licence classes. Operators now hold either a business-to-consumer (B2C) licence, for dealing with players, or a business-to-business (B2B) licence, for supplying games and platforms. The B2C licence is then defined by the types of game it covers.

So a casino's MGA licence should cover Type 1. If a site offers sports betting too, look for Type 2 as well. The register tells you which types each licence includes.

What a Maltese licensee owes you

• Segregated player funds. Player balances must be protected from the operator's own creditors.
• Certified games. Random number generators and game maths are tested by approved laboratories.
• Clear terms. Promotional conditions must be set out plainly, before you accept them.
• Responsible gaming tools, including deposit limits you can set yourself.
• An independent dispute service the player can turn to, named in the terms and conditions.

The complaint route, step by step

1. Complain to the operator in writing and keep a copy. Give it the time its terms allow to answer.
2. If the answer does not resolve it, take the case to the alternative dispute resolution entity named in the terms. Every licensee must have one.
3. You can also contact the Authority's player support function through the online form on its website. It looks into complaints about licensees, although it is not a court and cannot award damages.
4. Attach everything: screenshots, transaction history, the relevant clause of the terms, dates and amounts.

This structure is one of the strongest arguments for the Maltese licence: there is a named, free place to go after the operator, and the Authority takes an interest in how its licensees treat complaints.

The controversy worth knowing about

In 2023 Malta amended its Gaming Act, adding what is usually called article 56A, which limits the recognition in Malta of foreign court judgments against Maltese licensees acting lawfully under their licence. It was a response to lawsuits in countries such as Germany and Austria, where players have sued to recover losses. The amendment has been criticised and is the subject of legal challenges at European level. For an Irish player it changes little day to day, but it is a reminder that a licence reflects the priorities of the country that issues it.

Why studios care about Malta too

Malta licenses suppliers as well as casinos. Many of the studios behind the games on our popular games list hold Maltese B2B licences, which require their game maths and random number generators to be tested and their releases controlled. So even at a casino licensed elsewhere, a game from a Malta-licensed studio has been through that supplier-side scrutiny. It is one reason the same game behaves identically from one site to the next.

Checking an MGA licence

1. Find the licence number in the footer; Maltese numbers follow the pattern MGA/B2C/ followed by digits and a year.
2. Click the seal. A genuine one opens the Authority's own verification page.
3. Search the licensee register on the Authority's website and check the company name, the status (it should read as active, not suspended or cancelled) and the game types.
4. Compare the company with the one named in the site's terms.

How Malta compares with the other authorities you will see: the UK Gambling Commission, Curaçao, Anjouan and Kahnawake. For Ireland's own regulator, read the GRAI guide, and for the whole picture, casino licences explained.

Casinos covered on this site

Nothing to do with Malta: the five casinos we write about, and what each puts first.