MGA drops gambling license reforms after criticism

Malta’s plans for tighter rules on gambling firms operating under foreign licenses have been diluted after industry feedback, and the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has admitted some measures may need legislative changes.

The regulator’s response to its April 2026 consultation removes a proposed requirement for five years of regulatory history, including correspondence. It will instead ask only for material fitness and licensing matters. A single legal opinion template has also been abandoned in favor of a list of confirmations each opinion must cover, and many obligations will no longer apply to B2B suppliers.

The Malta Gaming Authority said:

“Stakeholders generally supported the overall direction of the proposed enhancements whilst emphasising the importance of proportionality, operational practicality, and avoiding unnecessary duplication with requirements imposed by foreign licensing authorities.”

Recognition Notices allow companies based in Malta to rely on licenses from EU/EEA regulators or other jurisdictions with equivalent AML standards. By 2021, 111 Maltese gaming companies were using them, 46 of them B2C operators. Malta’s 2023 National Risk Assessment flagged the regime as a money laundering risk for a country that was on the FATF gray list from 2021 to 2022.

Data collection under the new rules will begin in 2026, limited to B2C RN holders and covering 2025.