Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) gaming licence: what it covers and what it means for players

For players in Great BritainAn MGA licence does not allow an operator to offer gambling to people in Great Britain. Remote gambling used in Great Britain needs a Gambling Commission operating licence (Gambling Act 2005 s.33 with s.36(3)/(3A)), and advertising unlicensed gambling is an offence under s.330. Some groups hold both an MGA licence and a separate GB licence; for British customers, the GB licence is the one that counts. How to check a site.

Licence types

Gaming Service licence (B2C: offering gaming to players)
Critical Gaming Supply licence (B2B: supplying and managing material elements of a game or the software that holds key regulatory records)
Recognition notices for services licensed in another EU/EEA state (B2B outsourcing context)

What players get

B2C licensees must run a documented complaints procedure and, once it is exhausted, let the player refer the dispute to a registered ADR entity whose decision binds both sides; disputes referred to ADR must be reported to the MGA.
Players can also lodge a formal complaint against an MGA licensee through the MGA's Player Support complaint form.
Operators must offer self-exclusion (definite or indefinite) and mandatory deposit and wagering limits; limits can only be lifted at the player's request or when they expire.
Operators must monitor for signs of problem gambling and display licensee details and responsible gaming information.

How to check a licence

Search the MGA Licensee Register at https://www.mga.org.mt/licensee-register/ by licensee name, authorisation status, URL or gaming service. The MGA also publishes a list of unauthorised URLs.

Recent changes

2023-06: Article 56A added to the Gaming Act (tabled as Bill 55): Maltese courts must refuse, on public policy grounds, to recognise or enforce foreign judgments against MGA licensees based on the illegality of services in another member state where those services were lawful under Maltese law.
2025-06-18: European Commission opened infringement proceedings against Malta over Article 56A under the Brussels I bis Regulation (secondary).
2026-04-23: Advocate General Emiliou (Case C-683/24, Spielerschutz Sigma) said the Austrian reference was inadmissible, but that if the Court answered it, Article 56A is manifestly incompatible with the Brussels I bis Regulation. He also said a Maltese gaming licence is in principle valid only in Malta and in member states that choose to recognise it. The opinion does not bind the Court.

Context

The MGA is a statutory regulator of an EU member state, with published directives, a licensee register and an ADR framework.

Article 56A has been criticised at EU level: the European Commission started infringement proceedings (secondary), and an Advocate General called it manifestly incompatible with EU rules on recognising judgments, noting that Maltese licences carry no automatic right to serve other member states.

Game providers that cite this regulator

1x2 Gaming, 3 Oaks Gaming, AGS, Air Dice, Alchemy Gaming, Apollo Games, Atomic Slot Lab, AvatarUX, BGaming, Bigpot Gaming, Blue Guru Games, Blueprint Gaming, Booming Games, Bragg Gaming Group (Oryx Gaming), ELK Studios, Endorphina, Evolution, Fantasma Games, Felix Gaming, Fortune Factory Studios, Fugaso, Games Global, Gaming Corps, Gamomat, Gamzix, Gold Coin Studios, Greentube, Habanero, Hacksaw Gaming, Hölle Games, IGT, Inspired Entertainment, Iron Dog Studio, Jelly Entertainment, Just For The Win, Kalamba Games, Lady Luck Games, Leander Games, Mascot Gaming, Nailed It! Games, Neon Valley Studios, NetEnt, Nolimit City, Northern Lights Gaming, Octoplay, Pariplay, Peter & Sons, Platipus, Play'n GO, Playson, Playtech, Playtech Origins, Push Gaming, Quickspin, Red Rake Gaming, Red Tiger, Reel Kingdom, Skywind, Slotmill, Spinmatic, Spinomenal, Spribe, Stakelogic, Stormcraft Studios, Swintt, Synot Games, Wazdan, Wild Streak Gaming, Yggdrasil.

From the licences each provider lists on its own site. Supplying games (B2B) is different from running a casino (B2C).

Not yet verified

The MGA's founding year (often given as 2001 under the Lotteries and Other Games Act) could not be sourced, so 'established' uses the 2018 Act.
Whether the CJEU has given judgment in C-683/24 since the 23 April 2026 opinion.
Trade press mentions a separate CJEU preliminary ruling around 16 April 2026 on asset-freezing relief in which Article 56A was a factor; not confirmed from curia.
Specific MGA player-fund segregation rules were not read first-hand.

We could not confirm these from a primary source, so we have not stated them as fact.