Remote Gaming Services

A B2C Gaming Service Licence is required whenever a Maltese or EU/EEA entity wishes to offer a gaming service from Malta, to a Maltese person or through a Maltese legal entity.

The following shall constitute a gaming service:

  • Offering, provision or operation of a gaming service; and
  • The hosting by a person in his premises accessible to the public, or in premises accessible to the public that are in his possession or under his control, the operation or the making available for use of a gaming device or gaming system.

 

Corporate Group Licence
Corporate groups may apply for a B2C corporate MGA licence, whereby the whole group is deemed to be the Licensee, as long as the group’s parent entity exercises control to the extent of over ninety percent over other bodies corporate in the same group, whether by way of shareholding or voting rights. The company designated as the nominal holder of the group licence shall be vested with the primary responsibility to pay the relevant dues to the Authority and to satisfy information and reporting requirements in terms of applicable regulatory instruments.

Once a licence is awarded, several ‘gaming verticals’, meaning categories of products that require specific safeguards per vertical can be offered under the same licence. These verticals require prior approval, in order to ensure that they are offered in a manner which adheres to law and to the regulatory objectives, owing to their differing characteristics and the distinction between these product categories. For the sake of clarity, the different verticals are grouped into Gaming Types, and the Compliance Contribution as well as the minimum share capital requirements are calculated per Game Type.

 

Types of Services

Type 1: Casino (including live casino, roulette, blackjack, baccarat); Poker played against the house; Lotteries; Secondary lotteries; Virtual sports games
Type 2: Fixed odds betting (including live betting)
Type 3: Pool betting (including betting exchange); Peer-to-peer poker; Peer-to-peer bingo and other peer-to-peer games (but excluding pool betting); Lottery messenger services; Commission Based Games
Type 4: Controlled skill games

Relevant Fees and Taxation

 

One-time, non-refundable Application Fee  €5,000
Non-refundable Fixed Annual Licence Fee  €25,000
Non-refundable Fixed Annual Licence Fee for operators providing solely Type 4 gaming services € 10,000
Gaming Tax (5% of the gaming revenue generated from the gaming service)
Compliance Contribution (Refer to Fees Document)

How to Apply

The Authority advises that the System Documentation Checklist (SDC) and the applicable Enclosure lists are consulted prior to initiating a new Gaming Licence Application.

All documentation and information as per the SDC, together with the SDC, need to be submitted electronically through the Licensee Portal. The application type, ‘Gaming Licence Application’ needs to be selected, and the Gaming Licence Type, ‘B2C’ needs to be selected as an option, as well as the respective channel i.e. remote, land-based or both, if applicable.

The application is linked to an entity, and the application is visible from the company’s timeline. This enables applicants to start an application, saving the process and continuing the application at a later date.

Skip to content