Casino, betting and skill game operators, and the platforms and studios that supply them, choose Malta for EU-wide reach and a payments sector built around the industry.
Selected engagements from more than 250 licences obtained since 2013, for payment, e-money, cryptoasset and consumer credit firms.
Volkswagen
Payment InstitutionObtained Nexpay’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Electronic Money InstitutionObtained Dzing Finance’s FCA Authorised Electronic Money Institution licence.
Obtained Orbital’s FCA Authorised Payment Institution licence.
Our realistic timeline from submission, set against the regulator’s own published figures.
Acquiring and payment processing arranged alongside the application, so you take deposits from go-live.
Candidates introduced for the senior managers for each key function, each assessed against the regulator’s standard.
A reply within three business hours and a written proposal the same day: the licence, the requirements, the cost and the timing.
You will need senior managers for each key function, each certified by the MGA as fit and proper and reviewed on an ongoing basis.
One engagement and one timetable, from scoping to launch. Speak to an expert about the people, the banking and the technology for this licence.
The regulator’s requirements, capital, timing, fees and the questions firms ask, from the regulator’s own publications.
Operators offering casino, betting, lottery-style or skill games to players (B2C) and the platforms, game studios and critical suppliers that serve them (B2B). Malta’s regime covers the EU single market from an English-speaking base with a payments sector built around the industry.
| Licence | Holder | Share capital |
|---|---|---|
| Gaming service licence (B2C), Types 1 and 2 | Casino and fixed-odds betting operators | €100,000 |
| Gaming service licence (B2C), Types 3 and 4 | Peer-to-peer and controlled skill games | €40,000 |
| Critical gaming supply licence (B2B) | Platforms, game studios, critical suppliers | As assessed |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application fee | €5,000, non-refundable |
| B2C fixed annual fee | €25,000 (€10,000 for Type 4 only) |
| B2B critical supply annual fee | €25,000 up to €5 million revenue; €30,000 to €10 million; €35,000 above |
| B2B back-office annual fee | €10,000 in the first year, then €3,000 or €5,000 by revenue |
| Compliance contribution, Type 1 | 1.25% falling to 0.40% of gaming revenue; minimum €15,000, maximum €375,000 |
| Compliance contribution, Type 2 | 4.00% falling to 0.40%; minimum €25,000, maximum €600,000 |
| Compliance contribution, Type 3 | 4.00% falling to 0.40%; minimum €25,000, maximum €500,000 |
| Compliance contribution, Type 4 | 0.50% rising to 2.00%; minimum €5,000, maximum €500,000 |
| Gaming tax | 5% of gaming revenue from players in Malta |
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Statutory decision period | No statutory period; 60 days to cure an incomplete application; go-live within 90 days of the licence | Gaming Act 2018 and MGA directives |
| Application preparation | 8 to 10 weeks | From instruction to submission, including banking in parallel |
| Our realistic timeline | 4 to 6 months from submission to go-live | The firm’s own figure, from the regulator’s published data and its own applications |
Figures published by the regulator are quoted as published and converted to months. The realistic timeline is the firm’s own, for a complete, well-prepared application.
| Stage | Notes |
|---|---|
| 1. Application | Submitted with the fee |
| 2. Application review | Completeness; 60 days to cure |
| 3. Fit and proper review | Shareholders, owners, key persons |
| 4. Funding review | Source of wealth and funds |
| 5. Business plan and policies | Reviewed against the directives |
| 6. Technical set-up and system audit | 60 days to implement systems |
| 7. Approval | Go-live declaration within 90 days |
The MGA publishes no end-to-end period. The firm plans for four to six months from submission to go-live.
Operators need acquiring, alternative payment methods and accounts for player funds. The firm arranges these through institutions that accept the sector, several of them Maltese, and prepares the compliance framework they review. See banking and payment processing.
Any company incorporated in the EU or EEA, with key functions held by persons certified by the MGA.
€5,000 on application, a fixed annual fee of €25,000 for operators, and a compliance contribution on gaming revenue by game type within published minimums and maximums.
Ten years.
Within 90 days of the licence date, by go-live declaration.
No. Serving Great Britain requires a Gambling Commission licence; the firm obtains both.
A regulatory advisory firm to payment, e-money and cryptoasset companies since 2013, with more than 250 licences obtained in more than 60 countries. The firm advises on authorisation, compliance, safeguarding, banking and transactions, and builds the white-label payment and card technology its clients launch on.
A written proposal on cost, timing and requirements, the same day: speak to an expert.
This guide is general information for firms considering authorisation and is reviewed against the regulator’s published requirements. It is not legal advice; requirements and fees change, and the regulator’s current publications take precedence.
The requirements, the cost and the timing for your business, in a written proposal the same day.