The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) issued 19 new gaming licences in 2025 as Malta’s regulator continued to shift more of its oversight toward risk-based supervision, player safeguards and cross-border regulatory cooperation.
The figure was disclosed in the Authority’s 2025 Annual Report and audited Financial Statements, which covers both Malta’s online gaming sector and land-based market for the year ended 31 December 2025.
The MGA received 38 applications for new gaming licences during the year and 10 licence renewal applications. It issued eight renewals and carried out 1,266 due diligence screening checks on authorised persons, qualifying interest holders, directors, key persons and third parties linked to control or funding.
Applications involving more complex findings were escalated to the Fit and Proper Committee, which assessed 20 entities and 38 individuals. In seven cases, the committee determined that the fit and proper criteria were not met.
The report also points to a wider supervisory workload. The MGA concluded 15 full-scope compliance audits and 109 thematic reviews across compliance, player protection and sports betting integrity. It also resolved 3,718 player assistance requests, received 1,757 player funds reports and carried out 14 data extractions connected to player fund safeguards.
Enforcement activity included 35 cease and desist letters, 22 warnings and 30 administrative penalties amounting to €162,520 ($185,743). The Authority also suspended one licence and cancelled two.
AML/CFT supervision remained part of the regulator’s work, with 21 compliance examinations initiated by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit or by the MGA on its behalf. The FIAU imposed remediation measures and/or administrative penalties of just under €26,500.
Sports integrity activity also remained prominent. The MGA received 280 suspicious betting reports from licensees, shared 192 suspicious betting alerts after risk-based filtering and participated in 66 investigations globally.
MGA CEO Charles Mizzi said: “The challenge facing regulators today is not to regulate more, but to regulate better.”
The report comes as Malta’s gaming framework continues to face wider EU scrutiny over Article 56A of the Gaming Act, formerly known as Bill 55, while the MGA’s 2026 supervisory plan has set compliance, player protection and sports betting integrity as its main themes.
The annual report also builds on the MGA’s continued action against unauthorised websites using false references to the Maltese licensing regime. In June, the regulator warned against six gambling domains it said had no connection with the Authority or its licence register.
The MGA reviewed 109 unauthorised URLs in 2025 and found 42 containing fraudulent references to the Authority or its licensees
