The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has published its Annual Report and audited Financial Statements for the financial year ending 31 December 2024. The report offers an in-depth overview of the performance of Malta’s land-based and online gaming sectors during 2024, while also highlighting the Authority’s key activities and regulatory developments over the past year. It also offers a medium-term outlook for the broader gaming industry, reflecting emerging trends, regulatory shifts and the evolving market landscape.

Key Highlights from 2024

Supervisory Activity & Enforcement

In 2024, the MGA received 28 applications for new gaming licences and issued 17 licences. In addition, the Authority received a further 12 gaming licence renewal applications from operators to renew their gaming licence that was bound to expire in 2024 and issued eight licence renewals.

Low-risk games require a permit, which is valid only for a singular event and expires when the event is concluded. To this end, the MGA issued 1812 permits for non-profit tombola, 19 permits for non-profit lottery and 84 certificates for commercial communication games.

As part of the Authority’s process to assess applications, the MGA carried out just under 1200 criminal probity screening checks on authorised persons, persons holding qualifying interest, directors, key persons and any third parties providing funding or exercising control over an authorised person in both the land-based and online gaming sectors. The Fit and Proper Committee made 64 decisions, 16 of which determined that the criteria to be considered as fit and proper were not met.

The Supervisory Council reviewed 30 gaming licence applications, including new and renewal requests. Out of these, two applications were rejected on the grounds that information or submissions provided were false, misleading, inaccurate, or materially incomplete following the completion of the “Minded Letter” process. One application remained in the “Minded to Refuse” stage.

In 2024, the MGA concluded 13 compliance audits and 116 desktop reviews.

The Authority was notified by the licensees of 123 Technical Information Security Incidents, which the MGA investigated to ensure that no licensed activity was adversely affected.

The Commercial Communications Committee took seven decisions regarding possible breaches of the Gaming Commercial Communications Regulations.

In 2024, the Authority also issued 35 warnings, 25 administrative penalties amounting to €306,250 and reached three regulatory settlements amounting to €61,522. The MGA also suspended two licences and cancelled eight.

AML/CFT Oversight

43 AML/CFT compliance examinations were initiated by the FIAU or by the MGA on its behalf.

60 examinations were concluded, and 11 closure letters were issued to licensees who either addressed the identified issues or where the findings from the compliance examinations were not deemed to be serious and/or systematic.

The FIAU imposed remediation measures and/or administrative penalties on six licensees. The total administrative penalties issued amounted to just under €185,000.

The Authority conducted 37 interviews on prospective MLROs to ensure that candidates meet the required standards of knowledge and awareness of the Maltese AML/CFT legal framework.

Player Protection and Inspections

As part of its efforts to safeguard players and promote responsible gambling, the MGA resolved 3372 requests for assistance (including spill-over from 2023).

To continue safeguarding player funds, the Authority received 1897 player funds reports and carried out 27 data extractions during the reporting period.

The Authority conducted 40 responsible gambling-themed website checks and issued 27 observation letters outlining the issues and areas for improvement.

The MGA investigated 83 cases involving websites that published misleading information and issued 29 public notices on its website.

During the reporting period, the MGA carried out just over 9000 inspections on Gaming Premises (including casinos and commercial bingo halls), Controlled Gaming Premises, National Lottery Outlets including National Lottery Outlets – Controlled Gaming Premises and Non-Profit Tombola.

National and International Cooperation

In 2024, the MGA received 244 suspicious betting reports from licensees and shared 247 alerts on suspicious betting. The Authority participated in 30 investigations across different jurisdictions.

The MGA collaborated with enforcement agencies, sports governing bodies, integrity units and regulatory authorities on 31 requests for information and participated in 39 data exchanges.

The MGA received 85 requests for international collaboration from other regulators. Most of the requests received were generic requests for cooperation or requests for background checks as part of authorisations processes.

The Authority issued 59 official replies to provide feedback on the regulatory standing of its licensed operators to the relevant authorities requesting the information.

The MGA collaborated with local regulating authorities and governing bodies on 161 requests for information.

“Resilience is not just about endurance – it’s about adapting with purpose and staying focused on what matters,” CEO Charles Mizzi said.

“Over the past year, we improved how we work, strengthened our internal processes, and continued investing in the people and systems that support effective regulation. As the sector continues to evolve, the MGA remains committed to anticipating challenges, adapting with purpose, and upholding the standards that define Malta’s reputation as a trusted jurisdiction.”

In response to the recent and prior sports wagering tax increases passed by the Illinois state legislature on all mobile and online sports wagers placed with licensed operators, DraftKings Inc. announced that it will implement a 50-cent transaction fee on all mobile and online bets placed in Illinois through DraftKings Sportsbook, effective September 1, 2025.

“Illinois has been an important part of our growth, and we’re proud to have contributed meaningfully to the state through tax revenue, job creation, and a sustained investment in responsible gaming tools and resources. We are disappointed that Illinois policymakers have chosen to more than triple our tax rate over the past two years, and we are very concerned about what this will do to the legal, regulated industry. Meanwhile, Illinois continues to fuel the rapidly growing illegal industry, which pays no taxes or fees and provides none of the consumer protections that regulated operators offer,” said Jason Robins, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of DraftKings.

Rapidly expanding content provider celebrates the success of its first TRUE WAYS Conference

Popular iGaming content provider BGaming recently completed its inaugural TRUE WAYS online conference. The event was held online on June 4th, 2025, from 3:00 to 6:00 PM CET.

TRUE WAYS has been a roaring success for BGaming, exceeding expectations across the board. The event received over 1,500 registrations and had more than 400 external participants, with 47% holding executive roles. Live attendances for the streams varied throughout the event, peaking at between 150 and 200 viewers.

The free and fully accessible virtual event was BGaming’s first foray into the world of conferencing. TRUE WAYS was created to focus on real-world case studies and honest conversations, inviting voices from across the industry to come forward and share their experiences and insights, both positive and negative. The purpose of the event was not just for the speakers to share their own experience, but to emphasize the importance of industry collaboration, one of key principles for BGaming.

Several key speakers provided fascinating insights into the global landscape of the industry. Dmitry Belianin of the Belianin Group highlighted Africa as the next iGaming frontier, citing its massive mobile-first user base and early-stage growth. He pointed to projected 2024 GGR figures: South Africa – $3.5B, Nigeria – $1.1B, and Kenya – $755M. Meanwhile, Sasha Boerma from Split The Pot also focused on Africa, highlighting the need for a localized approacht. To succeed, she urged operators to “go local to grow” — from mobile optimization to cultural immersion through local teams — and emphasized the lasting impact of traditional offline marketing.

Looking at Asia, Ataur Rosul Abeer of Slotegrator identified India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam among major players in the region. He noted that players in these countries prefer simple, engaging formats — particularly sports betting, live games, and crash mechanics. Looking ahead, Ataur pointed to fantasy sports and intuitive, easy-to-grasp game designs as global trends to watch.

BGaming’s CMO, Kate Puteiko, highlighted the importance of building systems for visibility, designing for real-world use cases, and not just focusing on hype, as well as how to think beyond the lobby by offering tools and tracking results. Kate Romanenko, Head of Commercial at Kendoo, shared practical tips on boosting your lobby through leveraging game data. She also highlighted the value of competitive gap analysis and encouraged the use of third-party market research to guide content strategy.

The conference also featured contributions from other industry figures, including Yaroslav Babych (ZM Team), Shahar Attias (Hybrid Interaction), Ivan Bilash (SOFTSWISS), and Marija Hammon (Brand & Marketing Consultant). For those who couldn’t attend or would like to revisit the sessions, all recordings are available by logging in on the conference landing page — your gateway to the brightest iGaming insights.

Marina Ostrovtsova, BGaming CEO, said: “TRUE WAYS was a success for us, and I couldn’t be prouder of everyone involved. The event exceeded all expectations, and the feedback we have received has been extremely positive. As a company, we see great potential in further developing this initiative and collaborating with more voices from across the industry.

“iGaming is in such an exciting place right now, and having a platform where industry experts can come and share their experience is going to benefit everyone. TRUE WAYS provides exactly that, and we are excited to see where this initiative will take us next.”