How to Get a Malta Gaming Licence in 2026

A Malta gaming licence lets one company offer casino games, sports betting, poker and skill games to players, or supply gaming software to other operators, under a single approval. Malta was the first EU country to regulate online gaming, and its regulator is one of the best known in the industry. The licence runs for 10 years.

Getting one takes careful preparation. The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) wants a Maltese or EU company with €40,000 to €100,000 of share capital, approved key persons, audited systems and funding it can trace. Most projects take 14 to 26 weeks, and many banks still turn gaming companies away.

This is where we come in. We form your Maltese company, build the licence file with you and set up player KYC and AML screening on our own compliance platform. Then we open a business account with our gaming-friendly banking partners. One team handles all of it.

Malta Gaming Licence at a Glance

A Malta gaming licence costs €5,000 to apply and €25,000 a year for a B2C licence. On top come a monthly compliance contribution from 1.25% of gaming revenue and a 5% gaming tax on revenue from players in Malta.

Fees checked against the MGA's Licence Fees and Taxation guidance note (version February 23 v2) and its Remote Gaming Services page (updated 10 September 2026) on 22 September 2026.

Why Get a Gaming Licence in Malta

Operators choose Malta for an experienced EU regulator, one licence for every game type, a published fee grid and a name banks and suppliers recognise.

An EU Regulator Since 2004

Malta was the first EU member state to regulate online gaming, with its Remote Gaming Regulations of 2004. The Gaming Act replaced that regime in 2018 with one framework for B2C operators and B2B suppliers, supervised by the MGA. See our guide to igaming licensing.

One Licence for Every Game Type

An MGA licence is not split by product. You hold one B2C licence and add Types to it: casino games, fixed odds betting, peer-to-peer games and controlled skill games. Adding a vertical means asking the MGA to add a Type, not starting again, although the MGA can require an audit when you add one.

A Published Fee Grid That Falls as You Grow

Every fee is public: €5,000 to apply, €25,000 a year and a compliance contribution that starts at 1.25% of gaming revenue for Type 1 and falls to 0.40% in the top band. Qualifying start-ups get a 12-month break from the compliance contribution under the MGA's Directive on Start-Up Undertakings.

A Licence Banks and Suppliers Recognise

Payment firms, card schemes, game studios and affiliates know how closely the MGA checks owners, funds and systems. Anyone can look up a licensee on the MGA's public register, and suppliers use their Malta licence in due diligence across Europe. That trust is the licence's main commercial value.

A Home Base Inside the EU

Malta is an EU member state, uses the euro and applies EU rules on AML and data protection. The MGA accepts any entity established in the EU or EEA as an applicant, so a group can hold the licence where it suits its structure. Many groups place a Malta holding company above the licensed company.

Where an MGA Licence Lets You Operate

The licence lets you offer gaming from Malta wherever that is lawful, but it does not override other countries' laws. There is no EU passport for gambling, so each EU state with its own regime needs its own licence.

In 2023, Malta added Article 56A to the Gaming Act. It tells Maltese courts to refuse to recognise or enforce foreign judgments against MGA licensees for gaming that is lawful under Maltese law. Its standing under EU law is disputed, so treat it as a defence, not a market strategy. For British players, see how to get a UK Gambling Commission licence, and for EU markets, our guide to an EU igaming licence and company formation.

MGA Gaming Licence Types

An MGA gaming licence comes in two kinds under the Gaming Act: a B2C gaming service licence for operators that take bets, and a B2B critical gaming supply licence for suppliers. Every application costs €5,000, and a B2C licence carries one or more game Types.

A B2C licence pays one annual fee however many Types it carries. The fee is paid before the licence is issued and then every year.

Malta B2C Gaming Licence and Its Four Types

The Malta B2C gaming licence is for any company that takes bets from players or offers games to them directly. The licence is one approval, and the Types on it set your compliance contribution, the scope of your system audit and the testing you need. A casino with a sportsbook holds Types 1 and 2 on the same licence.

Type 1 and the Malta Casino Licence

Type 1 covers games against the house: casino, live casino, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, virtual sports, poker against the house and lotteries. It is what people mean by a Malta casino licence for online play, and it needs €100,000 of share capital. A land-based casino in Malta falls under a separate regime. Read how to get an online casino licence.

Type 2 for Fixed Odds Betting

Type 2 covers fixed odds betting, including live betting on sport and esports. It also needs €100,000 of share capital, and the compliance contribution starts at 4% of gaming revenue with a €25,000 yearly minimum. Sportsbooks also need alerts for suspicious betting. See how to start a sports betting company in Malta.

Type 3 for Peer-to-Peer and Commission Games

Type 3 is for games where the operator does not bet against the player and earns a commission or rake instead: pool betting, betting exchanges, peer-to-peer poker and bingo, and lottery messenger services. Share capital is €40,000, and the contribution starts at 4% on the first €2 million of gaming revenue.

Type 4 for Controlled Skill Games

Type 4 covers controlled skill games, such as fantasy sports, where skill decides the result but money is at stake. A licence with Type 4 only pays €10,000 a year instead of €25,000 and needs €40,000 of share capital. Its contribution starts at 0.50% of gaming revenue, with a €5,000 yearly minimum.

Malta B2B Gaming Licence for Critical Supply

The Malta B2B gaming licence covers critical gaming supply: supplying and managing software that generates, captures or controls essential regulatory records, and managing the material elements of a game from Malta. It suits game studios, platforms and RNG suppliers. It costs €25,000 a year up to €5 million of revenue, €30,000 up to €10 million and €35,000 above. Read more about becoming a gambling software provider in Malta.

Recognition Notice for EU and EEA Licence Holders

An operator already licensed in another EU or EEA state can ask the MGA for a recognition notice. The MGA then treats the foreign licence as having the same effect as its own for serving players in Malta. It does not give you a licence of your own or any market beyond Malta.

Own Licence, White Label or B2B Route

Your route depends on whether you take bets, run your own platform or only supply games. The table shows MGA fees for year one, meaning the application fee, the first annual fee and the minimum compliance contribution.

When Your Own Licence Is the Right Route

Choose your own Malta B2C gaming licence when you control the platform, want your own suppliers and plan more than one brand. You carry the full cost and every key function, but no other company decides your product list or your markets.

When a White Label Is the Better Start

A white label casino runs your brand on a licensed operator's platform and licence. It is faster and cheaper to start, but the licensee sets your terms, owns the regulatory relationship and can end the deal. Many brands start this way and apply for their own licence once revenue justifies it.

When the B2B Route Fits

The B2B licence suits studios, aggregators and platforms that never take bets. There are no player funds and no compliance contribution, and a Malta licence number helps you sell to operators across Europe.

Malta Gaming Licence Requirements

To meet the Malta gaming licence requirements, you need six things: an EU or EEA company, share capital, approved key persons, fit and proper owners, audited systems in the EU and a working AML framework. The MGA checks each one before it issues the licence.

A Maltese or EU Company

The MGA accepts any entity established in the EU or EEA as an applicant, and a B2C licence is for a Maltese or EU/EEA entity offering gaming from Malta. Most groups form a Maltese limited liability company, which keeps the licence, the key persons and the regulator in one country. Our guide on how to start a limited liability company in Malta covers the company side.

Key Functions and Key Persons

Directive 3 of 2018 lists eight key functions for a B2C licensee: the chief executive, day-to-day gaming operations, compliance, legal affairs, data protection, the prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing, technology and internal audit. B2B licensees need seven, with no separate AML function. Each holder needs an MGA certificate of approval, valid for three years. One person may hold several functions, but not ones the MGA sees as in conflict, so plan to keep the MLRO apart from the chief executive and internal audit.

Office, Servers and Hosting

Article 17 of Directive 3 requires the key technical setup to sit in Malta or another EU or EEA state. The MGA can allow another location case by case where it offers equivalent safeguards. Key persons must also have enough knowledge of the operation and access to it to do their jobs, which is hard to show with no presence in Malta, so plan on an office and some key persons on the island.

Share Capital

Share capital depends on the Type: €100,000 for Types 1 and 2, and €40,000 for Types 3 and 4 and for a B2B licence. Where a licence carries several Types, plan on the highest figure. The MGA asks for proof that the capital is paid in, and it checks that your funding covers start-up costs and liquidity.

Fit and Proper Owners and Directors

The MGA runs fit and proper checks on every relevant person: directors, key function holders and each ultimate beneficial owner with 10% or more. It looks at probity, competence and financial standing, using police conduct certificates from each country of residence, bank references and evidence of the source of wealth behind the investment.

AML and KYC Setup Under the FIAU

Malta's Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) supervises AML for gaming, with its Implementing Procedures Part II for the remote gaming sector. You need a business risk assessment, a customer risk assessment, CDD and EDD steps, sanctions and PEP screening, ongoing monitoring and an MLRO who reports suspicious activity to the FIAU. EU rules require customer due diligence once a player's stakes or winnings reach €2,000, in one transaction or linked ones. We set up player KYC, screening and monitoring on our own compliance platform. Read more: AML requirements for igaming operators.

Technical Testing and the System Audit

The MGA reviews your technical setup against its System Documentation Checklist. Before launch, an audit firm the MGA has approved audits the live system against the System Audit Checklist, and games driven by a random number generator need certificates from an approved testing lab. The MGA recognises compliance audits only from auditors it has approved.

Can a Foreign Owner Apply and Run It Remotely?

A foreign owner can hold the licence through a Maltese or EU company, and owners can live anywhere once they pass the fit and proper test. The business cannot be a shell, though. Key persons must genuinely run their functions, the key technical setup must sit in the EU or EEA and the MGA must be able to reach the people and records it supervises.

Before You Apply for an MGA Licence

The MGA publishes checklists and forms for each application, and a file that follows them moves faster. Anyone working out how to get a Malta gaming licence should settle these points before paying the €5,000 fee, so the file meets the Malta gaming licence requirements from the first submission.

• Licence and Types: B2C with the right Types, or B2B critical supply, named as the MGA names them.
• Entity Declaration Form: The applicant company, its group and every owner up to the natural persons.
• Financial Management Form: How the business is funded, banked and kept solvent.
• Personal declarations: One for each director, key person and owner with 10% or more, with certified ID.
• Police conduct certificates: Recent certificates from each country of residence.
• Source of wealth: Certified evidence of where the investment comes from.
• Share capital: €100,000 or €40,000 ready to pay in, matched to your Types.
• Business plan and forecasts: Products, markets, marketing, revenue and contribution modelling.
• System Documentation Checklist: Your platform, hosting, games and suppliers described line by line.
• Policies: AML/CFT under the FIAU procedures, responsible gaming, data protection and complaints.
• Target markets: Each market listed with your legal position there.
• Key technical setup: Hosting in Malta or the EU/EEA, or a case for another location.

Two items cause most delays: funding that cannot be traced and key persons named late. Settle both first.

How to Get a Malta Gaming Licence

Here is how to get a Malta gaming licence, following the MGA's own process from the first decision to the audit after launch. We run the company side ourselves and build the file with you, so each stage starts on time.

Choose the Licence and Game Types

Start by fixing the licence and the Types you need, because they set the capital, the fees, the key functions and the audit scope. A casino with a sportsbook needs Types 1 and 2, and a studio that never takes bets needs a B2B licence.

Form the Company and Pay In the Capital

We form the Maltese limited liability company and agree the share capital and the key persons with you. The capital is paid in and evidenced, and the company's documents go into the application.

Submit the Application Through the Licensee Portal

Applications go in electronically through the MGA's Licensee Portal, where you choose a gaming licence application and the B2C or B2B type. The €5,000 fee is non-refundable. You can save a draft and finish it later, but submit only when every checklist is complete.

Fit and Proper Review and Requests for Information

The MGA checks every relevant person and tests the business plan, the funding and the policies. Expect requests for information on anything unclear. Fast, complete answers keep the review moving, and slow ones are a common reason a file stalls.

Key Function Approvals

Some key functions, including the chief executive and compliance, must be notified at application stage, and the rest within six months of the licence being issued. Each nominee applies for a certificate of approval and passes the same fit and proper checks.

System Review, System Audit and Go-Live

The MGA reviews your technical documentation. Once it approves the application, an MGA-approved auditor audits the live environment against the System Audit Checklist. Findings are fixed before launch, and you go live once the MGA is satisfied.

Compliance Audit After Launch

After go-live, a compliance audit by an MGA-approved auditor checks that the live operation matches what you described in the application. The MGA can also require an audit when you add a new vertical.

Documents Needed for an MGA Licence Application

An application is judged on its documents, and each set maps to one of the MGA's forms or checklists. This is the pack we build with you.

• Company papers: Certificate of incorporation, memorandum and articles, share register, proof of paid-in capital and a group chart.
• People: Personal declarations, certified ID and address, police conduct certificates, CVs and references for each relevant person.
• Business plan and financials: Products, markets, marketing, forecasts, the Financial Management Form and evidence of funds.
• Policies and procedures: AML/CFT, risk assessments, responsible gaming, data protection, complaints, player funds and terms.
• Technical file: System diagram, hosting and disaster recovery, supplier contracts, game rules and testing certificates.

Company and Ownership Papers

The MGA follows every ownership layer until it reaches the natural persons behind the shares. Each company, trust or nominee in the chain is disclosed with its documents, and complex offshore layers draw extra questions.

Business Plan and Financial Forecasts

The plan covers product verticals, target markets and their legal position, marketing channels, gaming revenue forecasts, the compliance contribution and tax, cash flow and your responsible gaming approach. Forecasts should tie to the funding evidence, because the MGA reads them together.

Malta Gaming Licence Cost in 2026

The Malta gaming licence cost starts at €30,000 in MGA fees in year one for a B2C licence, plus the compliance contribution, gaming tax and running costs. We form the company from €1,299, and the licence work is quoted separately.

All of these are paid to the MGA. The rest of year one depends on your model.

MGA fees are fixed and public. The planning ranges are our working estimates, not published fees, and your written quote sets the final numbers. People and premises usually decide where you land.

How the Compliance Contribution Works

The compliance contribution is charged on gaming revenue in bands, and each rate applies only to the revenue inside its band. For Type 1, the rate is 1.25% on the first €3 million, 1.00% on the next €4.5 million and 0.85% on the next €5 million, falling to 0.40% on revenue above €30 million. An operator with €2 million of Type 1 revenue pays €25,000. One with €10 million pays €103,750: €37,500 on the first €3 million, €45,000 on the next €4.5 million and €21,250 on the last €2.5 million. Type 2 starts at 4%, so €2 million of betting revenue pays €80,000.

First-Year Cost by Licence Model

Types, capital and people are the main drivers of the Malta gaming licence cost. For the wider business case, see our guide to setting up an iGaming business in Malta.

How Long an MGA Licence Takes

The MGA does not publish a fixed decision deadline. In practice, plan on 14 to 26 weeks from the start of preparation to go-live, with the MGA review itself taking about 8 to 14 weeks.

The MGA controls the review. The weeks before filing and before launch are yours, and they decide the launch date.

What Slows an Application Down

Incomplete ownership disclosures, funding with no clear source, key persons named late, weak policies, missing technical detail and slow replies to MGA questions are the usual causes.

From Filing to First Revenue

With a complete file and a certified platform, plan on about 3 to 6 months from the start of preparation to first revenue. A B2C operator using a supplier's certified games usually moves faster than one building its own platform.

After the Malta Online Gaming Licence Is Granted

A Malta online gaming licence brings a fixed routine from go-live: monthly contributions, audits, reporting, player protection and prior approval for material changes.

Go-Live and the First Compliance Audit

Before launch, you clear the system audit findings and confirm go-live with the MGA. After launch, an MGA-approved auditor carries out a compliance audit to confirm that player funds, AML controls and responsible gaming tools work as described.

Contributions, Gaming Tax and Reporting

The compliance contribution is paid monthly, by the 20th day of the month after the reference month. Gaming tax of 5% applies to revenue from players in Malta. Regulatory returns, incident reports and change notifications go through the MGA's portal on its templates, and AML and responsible gaming records are kept for at least five years.

Responsible Gaming and Marketing

Players must be able to set deposit limits, take time-outs and self-exclude across every product. Your compliance function also checks marketing: no misleading offers, strict age checks and consent for marketing messages.

Key Person Changes

A key person who resigns or is dismissed must be reported to the MGA within three working days, and the replacement applies for a certificate of approval. Certificates run for three years, and renewals go in at least 60 days before expiry.

Material Changes and Change of Control

Material changes, such as a new platform, payment provider, market or game supplier, need MGA notification or approval under Directive 3 of 2018. A licence cannot be transferred, and any change of control or new owner with 10% or more goes through the MGA's checks first. An advert selling a Malta online gaming licence is really selling a company, and the buyer still faces the full fit and proper review.

Renewal and the MGA Register

A Malta licence runs for 10 years and can be renewed. Once issued, your company appears on the MGA's public licensee register, which players, banks and suppliers use to check you.

Banking for a Licensed Malta Gaming Company

Banking is where many new holders of a Malta online gaming licence stall, because gambling is a high-risk sector and most banks refuse it. The answer is a dedicated partner that accepts licensed gaming, used next to the player funds accounts the MGA expects.

Why Banks Refuse Gaming Companies

Banks see money laundering risk, chargebacks, players in many countries and heavy AML duties. Many will not open an account for a gaming company at all, whatever its licence, and a refusal makes the next application harder because forms ask about earlier declines. Our guides to a bank account for a gambling company, opening a business bank account for gambling and banking for high-risk businesses explain the pattern.

What Banks and the MGA Ask For

The MGA expects player money kept apart from company money and reconciled, so every player balance is covered. Banks then want the licence, the owners' KYC, the source of funds, the payment flows and your AML framework, and Malta's own banks run long enhanced checks on gaming clients. See how to open a Malta business bank account and the best banks for Malta companies.

A percentage fee can cost more than a flat bank fee on a very large single payment. The partner route wins on currency exchange, free transfers between your own accounts, no minimum balance and speed.

Opening the Account With Our Gaming-Friendly Partners

We build the bank file from the same pack as the licence: company papers, the owners' KYC, the business plan and the payment flows. Founders based abroad can read how to open a Malta bank account as a non-resident, and our guide to banking for igaming and betting companies covers the wider options.

Our gaming-friendly banking providers open multi-currency accounts for licensed Malta operators in about a week, with no minimum balance.

Why MGA Licence Applications Get Refused

Most weak applications stall or are withdrawn before a formal refusal. The reasons are well known, and nearly all of them are visible before you file.

Incomplete Ownership and Corporate Papers

Missing beneficial owner disclosures, inconsistent share records or outdated registry extracts trigger requests for information and delay the review. The MGA must see every layer up to the natural persons.

Fit and Proper Concerns

A director, owner or key person who falls short on probity, competence or financial standing can stop a file. Declaring and explaining a past problem is always safer than leaving the MGA to find it.

Funding That Cannot Be Traced

Capital with no clear source of wealth, or loans with no agreement behind them, holds a file up. The MGA wants to see where the money is, how it was made and how it reaches the company.

Technical Gaps at the System Audit

Missing RNG certificates, weak control system logs that do not capture every bet, win and void, or player funds that are not segregated lead to audit findings. The launch waits until each one is closed.

Key Function Shortages

Competent, conflict-free MLROs, compliance officers and internal auditors are hard to find. A nominee with thin experience can be refused, or approved only with conditions.

Malta vs the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Curaçao for a Gaming Licence

Operators usually weigh Malta against the Isle of Man, Gibraltar and Curaçao. Malta is the EU option, the Isle of Man and Gibraltar are British regulators outside the EU, and Curaçao moved to direct licensing in December 2024.

Malta is not the cheapest licence, and its share capital is the highest of the four. It offers an EU base, one licence for every game type, a 10-year term and a regulator that banks and suppliers know.

Malta vs the Isle of Man

The Isle of Man charges £5,250 to apply and £36,750 a year for a full licence, with duty from 1.5% of yield and no fixed capital. Its review typically takes 10 to 12 weeks from acceptance, but the licence runs for up to 5 years and the island sits outside the EU. See how to get an Isle of Man gambling licence. We form Isle of Man companies from €1,499.

Malta vs Gibraltar

Gibraltar's Gambling Act 2025 came into force on 1 April 2026. A new B2C operator pays £30,000 to apply and £50,000 a year below £20 million of yield, and duty is only 0.15% of gross gaming profit with the first £100,000 exempt. Gibraltar is outside the EU, while Malta keeps an EU base. See how to get a Gibraltar gaming licence.

Malta vs Curaçao

Curaçao's National Ordinance on Games of Chance came into force on 24 December 2024, and the Curaçao Gaming Authority now licenses operators directly. Its fee guidance of 15 October 2025 sets about $55,000 a year for B2C, and capital is reviewed in the application rather than set as a fixed sum. Malta costs more to hold but carries more weight with EU banks and suppliers. Read more: the best jurisdictions for igaming company formation.

Who an MGA Licence Is Wrong For

It is a poor fit for a start-up with little capital. A Type 1 licence needs €100,000 of share capital and at least €45,000 in MGA fees and contribution in year one, before people, hosting and audits. A white label on a licensed platform is often the better first step.

It also does not suit anyone who wants to use Malta only for its name while running the business elsewhere, because key persons must genuinely do their jobs. An operator focused on Great Britain needs a UK Gambling Commission licence either way, and one focused on a single EU market with its own regime needs that market's licence. Sportsbooks can compare the options in our guide to getting a sports betting licence.

Common Mistakes When Applying for an MGA Licence

These mistakes delay an application more than anything else, and each one is avoidable with a well-planned file.

Choosing the Wrong Game Types

Types set the capital, the contribution and the audit scope. Apply for Types you will not use and you pay for them, and leave one out and you must come back to add it. Match the Types to the business plan and the forecasts.

Treating Key Functions as Names on a Form

The MGA expects each key person to know the business and have real access to it. A nominee with no involvement, or one person holding functions that conflict, is a quick way to draw questions or conditions.

Hosting Outside the EU Without Approval

The key technical setup belongs in Malta or the EU/EEA. Hosting elsewhere needs the MGA's agreement case by case, so settle the location before you design the platform.

Leaving Banking Until After Approval

Banks and payment providers take weeks, and the MGA asks how you will hold player funds. Start the banking file alongside the licence file, from the same documents.

Bottom Line

A Malta gaming licence gives you an EU base, one approval for every game type, a 10-year term and a regulator that banks and suppliers trust. It costs €5,000 to apply and €25,000 a year for B2C, plus a compliance contribution from 1.25% and 5% tax on revenue from players in Malta.

Knowing how to get a Malta gaming licence is mostly about preparation: the right company, the right Types, paid-in capital, approved key persons, EU hosting, a complete file and a banking plan. We form the company from €1,299, build the file with you, set up KYC and AML on our platform and open the account with our gaming-friendly banking partners.