The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has appointed Kimberley Vella as the new Head of the Regulatory Oversight Department.
Her journey at the MGA began in 2023, where she previously served as a Compliance and Player Protection Manager. She also worked as a Regulatory Compliance Manager at Betway for two years, as well as a Compliance Specialist at Run It Once Poker.
Vella brings extensive experience in compliance regulations across both the gaming and financial industries. Her work has focused in particular on player protection, governance and sports betting integrity.
In a LinkedIn post, Vella stated: ‘’I’m especially proud of the Regulatory Oversight Department on how far we’ve come over the past few years. What we’ve built together reflects a strong foundation, a shared mindset, and a real commitment to raising standards - and it’s only just the beginning.’’
She is stepping into the role at a time of significant regulatory development in Malta’s gaming sector.
Malta is introducing changes to VAT and gaming tax frameworks from 1 October 2026 to create a clearer and more predictable system for operators.
This includes simplified and more equitable gaming tax rates for both land-based and online operators offering gaming activities to players in Malta. There is also the consolidation of the gaming tax and device levy into a single gaming tax structure.
In addition, Malta is examining how to regulate prediction markets. Economy Minister Silvio Schembri confirmed that the government is assessing ways to provide legal clarity for the sector.
However, it is not the first mover in Europe in this area, as Gibraltar has already licensed its first operator in the prediction markets segment.
Malta was the first EU member state to introduce laws to regulate online gaming
