To get a Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) licence, the applicant must be a company incorporated in the EU or EEA, meet the minimum paid-up share capital for its licence type, pass a fit and proper review of its owners and key people, show where its money comes from, submit a business plan and policies, and pass a system audit of its technical set-up before going live. A licence, once granted, runs for 10 years.
Everything below comes from MGA documents: the Application Process guidance note, the Licence Fees and Taxation guidance (December 2024, v3), the MGA Fact Sheets 2025 and the MGA’s key functions page. Checked on 4 November 2026. For legal effect, the MGA points to the Gaming Licence Fees Regulations (S.L. 583.03), the Gaming Tax Regulations (S.L. 583.10) and the Gaming Authorisations and Compliance Directive (Directive 3 of 2018).
Which licence you need
The MGA issues two licence classes:
- Gaming service licence (B2C): to offer or carry out a gaming service to players.
- Critical gaming supply licence (B2B): to supply and manage material elements of a game, or the software that generates, captures, controls or processes essential regulatory records, or the control system itself.
B2C licences are split into four game types for fee purposes. The fact sheet’s grouping:
| Type | Verticals |
|---|---|
| Type 1 | Casino, live casino, lotteries, secondary lotteries |
| Type 2 | Fixed-odds betting, including live betting |
| Type 3 | Pool betting (including betting exchange), peer-to-peer poker, peer-to-peer bingo, other peer-to-peer games, lottery messenger services |
| Type 4 | Controlled skill games |
The MGA notes that, for regulatory purposes, the verticals in the Gaming Authorisations and Compliance Directive are the reference.
Eligibility and share capital
Any EU/EEA company can apply, but it must meet share capital and annual financial statement requirements to proceed.
| B2C type | Minimum issued and paid-up share capital |
|---|---|
| Type 1 | €100,000 |
| Type 2 | €100,000 |
| Type 3 | €40,000 |
| Type 4 | €40,000 |
Companies with several types must meet the amounts cumulatively, capped at €240,000, per the application guidance.
Fees and tax
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee | €5,000 | One-time, non-refundable |
| Fixed annual licence fee, B2C | €25,000 | €10,000 if solely Type 4 |
| Fixed annual licence fee, B2B | €25,000 / €30,000 / €35,000 | Revenue up to €5m / €5m to €10m / above €10m |
| B2B back-office | €3,000 / €5,000 | Revenue up to €1m / above €1m |
| Compliance contribution, B2C | Tiered % of gaming revenue | Paid monthly, see below |
| Gaming tax | 5% of gaming revenue | Only on gaming services to players physically in Malta |
| Key function certificate | €50 per role | Per the key functions page |
The annual licence fee is paid upfront before the licence is issued and on each anniversary. Compliance contribution applies to B2C licences only.
Compliance contribution
The contribution is calculated on gaming revenue, paid by the 20th of the following month, with a minimum and maximum per year:
| Type | Minimum | Maximum | First band rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | €15,000 | €375,000 | 1.25% of the first €3m |
| Type 2 | €25,000 | €600,000 | 4.00% of the first €3m |
| Type 3 | €25,000 | €500,000 | 4.00% of the first €2m |
| Type 4 | €5,000 | €500,000 | 0.50% of the first €2m |
Rates fall in later bands for Types 1 to 3 (to 0.40% on the remainder) and rise for Type 4 (to 2.00%). New operators that are not start-ups do not pay the full minimum in their first financial year, and qualifying start-ups get a 12-month moratorium on compliance contributions.
Worked example (illustrative). A Type 1 casino licensee with €5 million of gaming revenue in a year, none from players in Malta:
- First €3m at 1.25% = €37,500
- Next €2m at 1.00% = €20,000
- Compliance contribution = €57,500, plus the €25,000 fixed annual fee = €82,500 to the MGA for the year.
The same revenue under a Type 2 betting licence: €3m at 4.00% (€120,000) plus €2m at 3.00% (€60,000) = €180,000, plus €25,000 = €205,000.
The application stages
Applications go through the MGA’s Licensee Portal, and the MGA says the same review process applies to B2B and B2C, with different documents by type. The System Documentation Checklist lists what each licence needs, and the MGA advises reading it before starting.
- Complete submission. Every UBO, director and key person files a Personal Declaration Form. Incomplete applications go to “Incomplete” once, for 60 days, then are rejected if not completed. Draft applications are auto-rejected after 90 days of inactivity.
- Fit and proper review. Shareholders, UBOs and key persons, plus probity checks with other regulators.
- Funding review. Source of funds of the applicant, and source and extent of wealth of the UBOs.
- Business plan and policies. Forecast financials, marketing and distribution plans, incorporation documents and operating procedures.
- Technical set-up and system audit. After the documentation review, the applicant has 60 days to implement the system in a technical environment and may trigger an external system audit by an MGA-approved service provider.
- Decision. Approval gives a 10-year licence.
Major changes during the review, such as a change of more than 75% in ownership, control or funding, or a new business plan, require a new application and fee.
Key functions
Licensees must designate people for key functions, and each needs an MGA Key Function certificate before appointment. Key functions can only be held by natural persons. The MGA’s eligibility criteria for the main online roles:
| Key function | Experience required (one route shown) |
|---|---|
| CEO or equivalent | 3 years managerial plus a related degree, or 5 years managerial |
| Management of operations | 2 years managerial plus degree, or 4 years |
| Compliance | 2 years in compliance plus degree, or 4 years |
| Legal affairs | 2 years as counsel and a law degree |
| Data protection officer | 2 years as DPO or data protection lead with a relevant diploma, or 3 years |
| MLRO | 2 years as MLRO or comparable plus degree or approved AML qualification, or 4 years; FIAU registration and an interview |
| Technological affairs | 2 years in IT plus degree, or 4 years |
| Internal audit | 2 years plus certification, or 4 years |
Some role combinations are not allowed for the same person; the MGA publishes a conflict matrix. Certificate holders must complete annual CPD hours (5 for the CEO role, 10 for most others). The MGA also expects key persons to have sufficient knowledge of, and access to, the operation to carry out their role.
After the licence
- Go live within 90 days of the licence date, by filing a Go-Live Declaration.
- Reporting calendar. The fact sheets list monthly gaming tax and compliance contribution returns, player funds and B2B compliance reports, half-yearly industry performance returns, audited financial statements within six months of year-end, and an auditor’s player funds and gaming revenue report.
- AML/CFT. Licensees are subject persons under Malta’s Prevention of Money Laundering and Funding of Terrorism Regulations and the FIAU’s Implementing Procedures (Part II covers gaming). The fact sheets list a business risk assessment, customer acceptance policy, risk-based due diligence, suspicious transaction reports to the FIAU, training and record keeping.
- Sports integrity. Type 2 applicants submit sports betting integrity policies and use the MGA’s Suspicious Betting Reporting Mechanism.
Already licensed elsewhere?
A company licensed in another EU/EEA state, or a state the MGA considers equivalent, can apply for a recognition notice instead of a full licence to offer games in or from Malta. It is maintained annually and attracts administrative fees.
For the wider compliance build, see our iGaming compliance briefing. For how Malta’s costs compare with Curaçao, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Great Britain, see licence cost by jurisdiction, and for the general process across regulators, how to get a gambling licence.
We report on the gambling industry for readers aged 18+. For help with gambling harm, see our responsible gambling page or call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.