Malta Gaming Authority Eases Gambling Licence Rules After Industry Objections

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has reduced several proposed compliance requirements for gambling companies operating under foreign licences. The regulator confirmed the changes on October 29, 2026, following industry feedback on its Recognition Notice framework.

Good to know

• The MGA has relaxed reporting requirements for gambling operators using foreign licences in Malta.
• B2B gaming suppliers will avoid several new obligations, while B2C operators face additional reporting.
• The regulator plans to begin collecting data covering 2025 before the end of 2026.

Malta Gaming Operators Face Different Reporting Rules

The revised framework will treat B2B suppliers and consumer-facing gambling operators differently, following objections from companies concerned about additional compliance costs.

Under the original proposals, businesses would have needed to submit detailed corporate ownership structures, five years of regulatory correspondence, and extensive financial information.

However, the MGA now plans to request only ultimate beneficial ownership details and material licensing or fitness matters.

Operators will also face fewer demands for commercially sensitive information. Instead of reporting exact annual deposit volumes and values, companies may provide figures within predefined ranges. Payment methods will also fall into broader categories.

Meanwhile, the regulator has abandoned plans for a standard legal opinion template, which stakeholders argued would be difficult to apply across different legal systems.

The MGA explained its approach to NEXT.io:

“Where appropriate, information may be requested through categories, ranges or thresholds, rather than requiring exact or highly granular data.”

Money Laundering Risks Prompted Original Review

Malta introduced the Recognition Notice system to allow gambling companies licensed in other EU or EEA jurisdictions to provide gaming services or supplies in or from Malta without obtaining a separate full MGA licence.

The framework also accepts licences from other jurisdictions that meet sufficiently comparable regulatory standards.

However, the system has raised concerns about differences in oversight between jurisdictions.

Malta ranked the residual money laundering risk associated with Recognition Notices as medium-high in its 2023 National Risk Assessment, compared with a medium rating for both remote and land-based gambling.

An earlier assessment identified 111 Malta-incorporated gaming companies operating through Recognition Notices in 2021, including 46 B2C operators.

Those findings contributed to the April 2026 consultation, which formed part of Malta National AML/CFT Strategy 2024–2026.

MGA Prepares First Data Collection

Despite relaxing several requirements, the regulator still plans to introduce additional monitoring this year.

The first reporting exercise will cover 2025 and apply only to B2C operators. The MGA also intends to stagger information requests rather than approach all existing Recognition Notice holders simultaneously.

Meanwhile, some industry participants questioned whether current Maltese legislation gives the regulator sufficient authority to demand certain information.

The MGA acknowledged that implementing some requirements could require amendments to the existing framework.

In its Feedback Statement, the regulator said:

“The final framework will therefore adopt a more differentiated approach between B2B and B2C RN holders, place greater emphasis on risk-based engagement, and rely on targeted information gathering that supports clearly defined regulatory, policy and risk-assessment objectives.”

The MGA circulated the October 26 Feedback Statement privately to Recognition Notice holders. It has not published the full document and will provide further implementation details separately.

The post Malta Gaming Authority Eases Gambling Licence Rules After Industry Objections appeared first on iGaming.org.