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Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Slots
Roulette
Cards
Videopoker
Blackjack
Live Roulette
Malta is one of the main licensing hubs for online casinos in Europe: at the end of 2025 the MGA had 302 licensed companies holding 311 gaming licences, and about 15,000 people worked with MGA licensees in Malta. The online sector of the gambling industry is by far the largest part of the industry in this nation. While land-based casinos are only represented by four establishments (Casino Malta, Dragonara Casino, Portomaso Casino and Oracle Casino), the list of online portals is much more substantial. Among the international casino brands most visited by players in Malta are LeoVegas, Videoslots, Casumo and PlayOJO; before registering, players can check any operator in the MGA's public licensee register. Each of the online casinos has a number of significant advantages:
- A vast collection of games. Among other types of entertainment, the websites feature video slots of various formats, roulette games, card games and scratch cards. Some online platforms provide an opportunity to play with live dealers and bet on sporting events
- Variety of payment options
- Worthy bonus awarding policies
Multi-platform websites have been translated into several dozens of different languages and feature software products by various major developers.
Popular slot machines
The players' preferences as far as video slots go, are not much different. Prototypes by major developers are the ones that are traditionally in highest demand. These are the models that you can come across in the Popular Slots sections of the websites: Book of Ra Deluxe and Fruits'n Royals by Greentube, Pharaoh's Fortune by IGT, Billyonaire and Wolf Moon by Amatic, Gates of Olympus and Sweet Bonanza by Pragmatic Play, and the evergreen Gonzo's Quest by NetEnt.
Gambling Legislation
Malta was one of the very first states to legalise gambling entertainment. This is where lotteries were played as far back as the 17th century. The very first official decree on public lottery that delegated the authority to conduct drawings to the monopoly of the state was adopted in 1922. Licensing requirements for horse racing and dog racing were introduced in 1934. Casino operations became regulated in 1958. At the end of the 20th century the Decrees listed above were replaced by modern legislative acts including, in 1998 the Law On Gambling was passed, which defined how to organise the business and oversee online casinos and in 2001 the Law on Lotteries was endorsed This new legislative act unified the norms for most of the acts that had previously been in force. The Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) was set up at the same time, to monitor the gambling industry in the country. Regulating of online activities was conducted in two stages. In 2000, the Decree on Public Lottery was supplemented by a number of amendments. The new rules served as the basis for regulating the online gambling industry until 2004. Or rather, until the Remote Gaming Regulations came into force. Later milestones include:
- 2015 – the Lotteries and Gaming Authority changed its name to the Malta Gaming Authority
- 2018 – the Gaming Act (Cap. 583) came into force on 1 August 2018, replacing the old remote gaming rules with a single framework and two main licence types: B2C (gaming service) and B2B (critical gaming supply)
- 2023 – the Gaming (Amendment) Act, known as Bill 55, added Article 56A, which allows Maltese courts to refuse to enforce foreign judgments against MGA licensees that conflict with Maltese gaming law
- 2025 – the European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Malta over Article 56A, arguing that it breaches the EU rules on the recognition of judgments (Brussels I bis Regulation)
- 2026 – an Advocate General of the EU Court of Justice described Article 56A as incompatible with those EU rules; at the time of writing the question of its compatibility with EU law is still pending
Regulators
Today the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), which was known as the Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) prior to re-branding in 2015, is the only independent regulator of the country's gambling industry. This office oversee´s all gambling in both land-based establishments and in the online segment. The structure of MGA unites several subdivisions:
- The board of directors, which is responsible for the strategic development of the office
- The auditing committee, which provides high-quality corporate management, oversees financial transactions and monitors the books internally
- The executive committee
- The overseeing committee
This multi-stage structure provides the efficiency of the regulator's activities. Maltese gaming service regulates the activities of all types of gambling: land-based casinos, online gambling, cruiseship casinos, bingo halls, advertising and national lotteries, not-for-profit games and other trends. Binary options are the exception. This type of activity is carried out under the supervision of the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) in compliance with the Law on Investment Services. MGA's main functions are issuing gambling licences and monitoring of the operators' compliance with the legislative provisions. The department's functions also include preventing and combating any criminal activities. MGA also provides the delivery of advisory documents and the analysis of feedback and proposals made by the players on the gambling market. No limits on the number of licenses issued have been imposed for the land-based establishments. And yet, one has to obtain the permission from the Minister of Finance in order to have the documents filed.
Gambling Licenses
There are no limitations issued for online resources either. The operators also claim that the process of filing the documents in Malta is much easier compared to other jurisdictions. The old system of four licence classes was replaced under the Gaming Act 2018. Today there are two main licences – the B2C gaming service licence for operators and the B2B critical gaming supply licence for suppliers – and a B2C licence lists the game types it covers:
- Type 1 – games of chance played against the house, whose outcome is determined by a random generator: casino games including live casino, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, poker against the house, virtual sports and lotteries. The compliance contribution ranges from 1.25% down to 0.40% of gaming revenue (minimum €15,000, maximum €375,000 a year)
- Type 2 – fixed-odds betting, including live betting. The compliance contribution ranges from 4% down to 0.40% of gaming revenue (minimum €25,000, maximum €600,000 a year)
- Type 3 – games in which the operator takes a commission from players' stakes: pool betting and betting exchanges, peer-to-peer poker, bingo and other player-versus-player games. The compliance contribution ranges from 4% down to 0.40% of gaming revenue (minimum €25,000, maximum €500,000 a year)
- Type 4 – controlled skill games such as fantasy sports. The compliance contribution ranges from 0.50% up to 2% of gaming revenue (minimum €5,000, maximum €500,000 a year). Companies that supply games, platforms and other critical gaming services hold a B2B licence and pay a fixed annual licence fee of €25,000–€35,000 depending on their revenue
Prerequisites for obtaining the license
The key requirement to qualify for a license is being a company registered in Malta or another EU/EEA country; a B2C licence also requires a minimum paid-up share capital of 40,000–100,000 EUR, depending on the game type. State fee is charged for the registration. Then a tax identification number is assigned and legal address filed. Directors and other company officials are appointed. The mandatory prerequisite is presenting a business plan of the company's operations to MGA. Then a thorough check on the operator, its owners and managers will be run. If the results come out positive, the owner will be issued a license that is valid for 10 years. Permits can be extended. Gaming Service reserves the right to suspend or revoke the license in case of any failure to comply with the legislative requirements. Initial fees are not that astronomical. The one-time application fee for any type of license is 5,000 EUR, and the fixed annual licence fee is 25,000 EUR for a B2C licence (10,000 EUR for operators offering only Type 4 games). Operators serving players physically present in Malta also pay a gaming tax of 5% of the gaming revenue generated from them. Corporate tax for gambling businesses is 35%. Once the dividends have been paid to the shareholders, up to six-sevenths of the tax can be refunded. The real rate can be as low as 5%.
Development of the Gambling Market in Malta
Licensing of a gambling business in Malta has a number of substantial advantages. An opportunity to gain the status of an international company, relatively low taxes, fast registration procedure and absence of any restrictions on any types of operations is only a fraction of the list of the advantages that are available. Gambling industry in Malta has been expanding rapidly. According to MGA reports, the gross value added of the sector has kept growing year after year – by 3.5% in 2025, to about €1.42 billion – while the number of licensees has slowly declined as the market consolidates. Players on the nation's gambling market have constantly been researching new trends for the development. Simplification of regulatory network, holding international themed exhibitions, licensing of new developers and online casinos and establishing partnerships with regulators from other countries — Malta's world of gambling has been developing quite dynamically. Considering the active involvement of special agencies and owners of gambling businesses in Malta in the development of the industry, one can predict that the development will be successful and efficient.
Maltese developers of slot machines
Interestingly enough, the developers of many video slots featured in online casinos happen to be Maltese. Among the ones that are worth noting, these are the most popular developers of gambling products that have occupied their own niche on the market: World Match, Playson and GameArt. World Match was founded in Italy in 1999 and in 2003 became the first gambling company to open an office in Malta. The list of the company's products includes over 300 games. The slots come in several versions and can be launched both through a browser or on mobile devices that run on either iOS or Android. The list of table games includes: Several models of roulette games, various card games and over ten versions of video poker. World Match also provides an opportunity to purchase some websites of multi-platform online casinos. Playson was founded in 2012 and has its headquarters in Malta. The company mainly specialised in the development of slots for online casinos. The developer's portfolio contains several dozen slots of various themes. 3D slots are available among Playson's models. The games run on both desktop and mobile devices. Users can download high-quality apps or launch the slots online. GameArt was founded in 2013. The company has its representatives in several countries worldwide, but the corporate headquarters are located in Malta. Despite the developer's young age, its collection contains a large portfolio of HTML5 slots for online casinos.
