In 2025, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) imposed a total of 30 administrative sanctions amounting to €162,520. This figure marks nearly a 50% decrease from the €306,250 in penalties assessed the previous year, according to the latest annual report from the authority.
The number of enforcement actions also saw a decline, with 22 warnings issued—down from 35 in 2024—and license revocations plummeting from eight to just two. Meanwhile, license applications surged from 28 to 38, resulting in 19 new licenses granted and eight renewals from a total of ten applications.
MGA CEO Charles Mizzi commented on the evolving regulatory landscape, stating, “The challenge facing regulators today is not to regulate more, but to regulate better. Throughout 2025, we refined the way we regulate — strengthening our risk-based approach to oversight, improving engagement, streamlining processes, and making better use of data and technology to focus our efforts where they matter most. That is how we strengthen confidence in the Maltese licence, safeguard players and support the long-term sustainability of Malta’s gaming sector.”
Type 1 online casino games were the predominant source of B2C online gaming revenues in 2025, contributing 78.9%, an increase of nine points compared to the previous year. In contrast, revenue from Type 2 sports betting fell to 14.5% from 25.6% in 2024, a decline the MGA attributes to shifts in international licensing frameworks and regulations. Type 3 pool betting revenue grew to 6.6%, up from 4.6% the previous year.
During the year, the Authority received 280 reports of suspicious betting activities from its licensees and generated 192 alerts based on its investigations. Additionally, the MGA completed 15 full compliance audits, managed 3,718 requests for assistance, and analyzed 109 websites, identifying 42 that misrepresented MGA or its licensed entities.
In the land-based gaming sector, the MGA conducted 7,903 inspections across casinos, bingo clubs, lottery points, and various gaming venues. It also issued 2,043 permits for non-profit tombolas, 22 permits for non-profit lotteries, and 118 certificates for organizing commercial communication games.
