Malta IGaming Services Provider Authorisation

Malta IGaming Services Provider Authorisation


As the first jurisdiction in the EU that introduced regulated remote gaming, with an average of a hundred new applications a year and being the largest EU i-gaming jurisdiction, Malta’s success in the i-gaming arena is undisputed.

 
Malta’s strategy in i-gaming has been bold and unique. The legislator decided to focus on regulation and transparency, providing a strict approach to licensing and monitoring of gaming operations. This has resulted in optimum protection for players on the one hand, to providing a regulatory solution to operators on the other, thereby achieving a balance between two opposing needs: the supplier’s and the customer’s. 


Malta’s main advantage is the fact that it is an onshore jurisdiction. Maltese operators do not face the difficulties that offshore operators face with exchange controls, access to capital markets and access to e-wallets and payment gateways worldwide. In the case of Malta i-gaming licensees, players find comfort in knowing that they are dealing with an onshore jurisdiction whose legislation is in line with the applicable EU legislation and international agreements.

 
Malta has always remained at the forefront of advances in technologies which affect the gaming sector. In 2017, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) together with the stakeholders of the gaming industry embarked upon a mission to make gaming legislation future-proof and thus ensuring that the gaming laws would be kept up to speed with emerging and disruptive technologies such as virtual currencies and distributed ledger technologies.






Country Highlights

GAMING JURISDICTION: Largest in the EU REGULATOR: Malta Gaming Authority
I-GAMING LICENCES: 625+ licenses SYSTEMS: Cloud ready and Crypto Friendly
CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS: 13.9 million+ IGAMING LAW: 1st in the EU


Legal Basis

All gambling activities in Malta are regulated by the Gaming Act of 2018 which grants power to the Malta Gaming Authority to issue licenses for both land-based and remote gambling activities. The Act consolidated all previous laws and regulations and provided for an overhaul in the licensing system reducing the various classification of licences to two: Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Business-to-Business (B2B). The attainment of a licence is principally regulated by the Gaming Authorisations Regulations, 2018 (subsidiary legislation 583.05) issued under the Malta Gaming Act which also provides for the approval of material gaming suppliers, that is, third party service providers providing a material gaming supply (as defined in the regulations – see next page) to Malta licensed operators. 


The Gaming Authorisations Regulations provide that any person offering a material gaming supply to Malta licenced operators may request a material gaming supply certificate from the MGA. Hence, the authorisation/recognition by the MGA of material gaming suppliers is optional and not mandatory. Having said that, the regulations impose an obligation on Maltese licenced operators to ensure that third party material suppliers they contract with: 

  • are in possession of the material gaming supply certificate form the MGA; or 
  • the material gaming supply is otherwise approved on a case-by-case basis by the MGA and subject to a risk-based approach. In such case the licensed operator has to assume full regulatory responsibility for the material supplies. 

Therefore, material gaming suppliers that have obtained the certificate facilitate the process of their approval as service providers of Malta licensed operators.


Benefits

  • Approved Provider for Largest iGaming Jurisdiction
  • Cost Effective Authorisation
  • Technology and Game Neutral Regulations
  • Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Friendly


Eligibility

  • Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies Friendly
  • Service MGA Licensees
  • Approved Key Persons
  • Apply for registration with MGA
  • Payment of Fees


Process & Timeline




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