Launch Your Gaming Business with Confidence

Malta online gambling licence

Malta’s gambling licence is the gold standard of the industry. An internationally renowned platform operating under the supervision of the Malta Gambling Authority will open many doors for you on an international level.

Malta was the first EU state to fully recognise the legality of online gambling when it approved the Remote Gaming Regulations in 2004. Furthermore, the Lotteries and Gaming Authority, renamed the Gambling Regulatory Authority (MGA) in 2015, has rapidly gained a reputation as the leading licensor in the online gambling sector.

Types of Malta gambling licences

Malta issues four classes of B2C gambling licences:

1. Class – casino games, lotteries with guaranteed prizes – The authorised capital for this class is €100,000.
2. Class – fixed-odds games, bookmakers, betting on cyber sports. Authorised capital for this class – 100 thousand euros.
3. Class – poker, pool betting, lotteries, bingo, lotto, peer-to-peer games – Authorised capital for this class – 40 thousand euros
4. Class – games of skill – Authorised capital for this class – 40 thousand euros.

If the company chooses 4 classes of games, the total amount of authorised capital will be 240 000 EUR.

Requirements and procedure for obtaining

1. 1 shareholder – natural or legal person
2. At least 1 director resident in Malta – an individual with proper qualifications
3. an actual company office in Malta
4. Availability of a minimum of two bank accounts prior to obtaining a licence:

• operating bank account
• player’s account where players’ funds are held

5. Employed employees of the company:

• MLRO Resident, performing the functions of Responsible Gaming, Key Compliance Officer, Network and Information Security, Risk Management Strategy
• Data Protection Officer, fulfilling the roles of Legal Officer and Financial Strategist
• Internal Auditor

6. Must pay a monthly compliance fee to the MGA (based on their total gambling revenue for the year):

• Class 1 – €15,000 – €375,000
• Class 2 – €25000 – €600000
• Class 3 – €25000 – €500000
• Class 4 – 5000 – 500000 euros

7. When submitting an application, it is necessary to pay a one-off state fee of 6 500 EUR and an annual licence fee after issuing the licence – from 10 000 EUR, as well as to undergo a system audit and compliance audit when submitting the application.

Procedure for obtaining a licence

1. Registration of a legal entity in Malta.
2. Opening of 2 accounts in one or more banks (to deposit authorised capital, aka operating capital, and to hold client funds).
3. Collection of information and documents for MGA.
4. Drawing up an application and submitting it with a ready package of documents to the regulator.
5. Checking by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) regulator everything related to the management and financing of the company. Particular attention is paid to money laundering and possible terrorist financing – whether anyone from the company is involved in this. Reputations are also checked, and enquiries are sent to law enforcement agencies
6. Analysing the applicant’s business plan. It is obligatory to have a detailed forecast of operations and their description. Namely operations related to marketing, distribution strategies and the anticipated growth of the company. The business plan should be for a period of three years.
7. A detailed analysis of the incorporation documents. Business processes related to remote gaming, rules, terms, conditions and their order are checked. As well as the application and system architecture of the gaming systems, management systems. At this stage, the share capital is deposited, the amount of which depends on the class of licence.
8. The applicant is informed of the successful application and a system audit is conducted. If a discrepancy is found during the audit, the applicant is given 60 days to correct the deficiency.