The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has published its Annual Report and audited Financial Statements for the financial year ending 31 December 2025. The report outlines the performance of Malta’s land-based and online gaming sectors during the year, while detailing the Authority’s key regulatory activities and developments. It also provides a forward-looking perspective on the gaming industry, examining emerging trends, regulatory shifts and market dynamics expected to shape the sector in the years ahead.

Key Highlights from 2025

Authorisation Activities

• Between January and December 2025, MGA received 38 applications for new gaming licences and issued 19 licences. In addition, the Authority received a further 10 gaming licence renewal applications from operators to renew their gaming licence which was bound to expire during the twelve-month period of 2025 and issued eight licence renewals.

• As part of the oversight of low-risk gaming activities, MGA issued 2043 permits for non-profit tombola, 22 permits for non-profit lottery and 118 certificates for commercial communication games.

• As part of MGA’s application assessment process, the Authority carried out 1266 due diligence screening checks on authorised persons, persons holding qualifying interest, directors, key persons, and any third-parties providing funding or otherwise exercising control over an authorised person from both the land-based and online gaming sectors.

• Applications of a more complex nature were escalated to the Fit and Proper Committee. It assessed findings relating to 20 entities and 38 individuals. In seven cases, the Committee determined that the criteria to be considered as fit and proper were not satisfied.

• The Supervisory Council considered gaming licence applications referred to it for review, including applications for new licences and licence renewals. These figures reflect the Council’s decisions on applications during the reporting period and therefore may differ from the number of licences ultimately issued during the same period. During 2025, 17 new gaming licence applications were approved, while two applications were rejected following the completion of the “Minded Letter” process, on the grounds that the information or submission made to the Authority was found to be false, misleading, inaccurate, or materially incomplete. In addition, 10 gaming licence renewal applications were reviewed and approved.

Supervisory Activities

• In 2025, MGA concluded 15 full-scope compliance audits, which were complemented by 109 thematic reviews across compliance, player protection, and sport betting integrity.

• As part of MGA’s efforts to safeguard players and promote responsible gambling, the Authority resolved a total of 3718 requests for assistance, including cases carried forward from 2024.

• Between January and December 2025, MGA received 1757 player funds reports and carried out 14 data extractions to support the safeguarding of player funds.

• As MGA continued to strengthen its efforts to identify unauthorised URLs linked to unregulated gaming activity, the Authority reviewed a total of 109 URLs, and 42 were found to contain fraudulent references to the Authority or its licensees. These were subsequently added to the publicly available list on MGA’s website.

• The Commercial Communications Committee made six decisions regarding possible breaches of the Gaming Commercial Communications Regulations.

• During 2025, 21 AML/CFT compliance examinations were initiated by the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU) or by MGA on its behalf, while 21 such compliance examinations were concluded.

• A total of 30 closure letters were issued to licensees to either formally conclude examinations carried out by the MGA or the FIAU, or to formally conclude the remediation process where findings were not deemed serious or systemic. Additionally, MGA have also issued two potential breaches letters as a formal notification to licensees of potential non-compliance with AML/CFT obligations, where further clarification, explanation, or remediation was required before these could be treated as confirmed breaches.

• The FIAU imposed a remediation measure and/or administrative penalty amounting to just under €26,500.

• MGA also conducted 29 interviews on prospective MLROs to ensure that candidates meet the required standards of knowledge and awareness of the Maltese AML/CFT legal framework.

• During the reporting period, MGA carried out a total of 7903 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.

Enforcement Actions

• Between January and December 2025, MGA issued a total of 35 cease and desist letters, 22 warnings and 30 administrative penalties amounting to €162,520. The Authority also suspended one licence and cancelled two.

• During 2025, one appeal was lodged, which remains pending, while eight appeals lodged in previous years were withdrawn.

National and International Cooperation

• Between January and December 2025, MGA received 280 suspicious betting reports from licensees. As part of its continued efforts to fight against match-fixing and malicious betting, MGA shared 192 alerts on suspicious betting with licensees, following enhanced risk-based filtering, and participated in 66 investigations across the globe.

• The MGA also collaborated with enforcement agencies, sports governing bodies, integrity units, and other regulatory authorities on 56 requests for information and participated in 85 instances of data exchanges.

• The MGA received 66 requests for international collaboration from other regulators, and it sent 12 requests. These requests received were primarily related to generic requests for cooperation or requests for background checks as part of authorisations process.

• The MGA issued 58 official replies to provide feedback on the regulatory good standing of its licensed operators to other regulatory and industry stakeholders requesting this information.

• During the reporting period, MGA collaborated with local regulating authorities and governing bodies on 200 requests for information.

“The challenge facing regulators today is not to regulate more, but to regulate better,” CEO Charles Mizzi said.

“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.”

The post The Malta Gaming Authority Publishes its 2025 Annual Report and Financial Statements appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Malta’s Prime Minister has said his nation will veto any attempts by the EU to introduce a bloc-wide online gambling levy, threatening to place the industry at the centre of febrile European politics.

Robert Abela has told Malta’s parliament that he would use his nation’s member state veto to block the passage of the next EU budget, if a proposed gambling levy is included.

The budget, formally known as the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), lays out how the EU will spend its €2trn budget from 2028 to 2034.

The prospect of adding a continent-wide tax to the budget remains only a proposal, but the idea has heavyweight backing.

Vice-president of the European Parliament Victor Negrescu is spearheading these efforts, arguing that a fast-growing digital industry that generates billions in revenue should be subject to EU-level taxation.

Negrescu says that the levy could generate between €2-4bn every year.

“This industry fully benefits from the EU’s single market, digital infrastructure and crossborder access, but operates under fragmented rules, unequal taxation and insufficient enforcement,” he said.

The online gambling sector might well quibble with the specifics of these claims.

The idea that it “fully benefits” from the EU single market may have been unassailably true in the point-of-supply era, but the subsequent fragmentation of national rules that Negrescu refers to has significantly complicated that picture.

Nevertheless, backing for the levy from a senior European politician has naturally spooked the industry and its primary champion within the EU, Malta.

The levy would be so damaging to Malta’s economic interests that it is willing to use its most powerful EU instrument by executing a veto in the European Council in order to block the budget from being approved.

That would likely plunge the island nation into the centre of a political firestorm, but recent history suggests that smaller EU nations and their allies can successfully disrupt budget negotiations.

During discussions over the 2020 EU budget, Poland and Hungary successfully secured concessions after they both threatened to veto the MFF over rule-of-law requirements.

Malta will also hope to rely on support from the Friends of Cohesion, an informal alliance of 16 nations concerned with regional development, of which it is a part.

Negrescu’s pledge to pair his levy with a “clear EU directive against illegal and unlicensed platforms” is unlikely to satisfy the online gambling industry, despite growing complaints of a rampant black market from a number of quarters.

Malta strikes again

In simple terms, Malta is seeking to protect an industry which accounts for 10 percent of its gross domestic product.

The nation has shown a clear willingness to ignore the EU’s wishes in order to shield the many gaming firms that host their headquarters within its borders.

Most notably, the creation of Bill 55 has successfully protected local companies from having to repay hundreds of millions of euros in player refund settlements.

Ongoing cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union suggest that Europe’s top judges will soon rule against Bill 55, which is now Article 56A of Malta’s gambling act.

The European Commission also launched infringement proceedings against Malta over the provision

Tax troubles.

There are so far no specifics on how the levy would be calculated or what value it would be set at, but beyond Malta an additional levy would also be extremely challenging for operators in European markets already struggling with high tax burdens.

This includes the Netherlands, where a government report released this week has shown that staggered increases to taxes of 37.8 percent of gross gambling revenue (GGR) have failed to deliver any benefit to the country’s budget.

Even a relatively slight increase to this tax rate could send more operators scurrying out the market and see channelisation dive further than its current rate of 55 percent.

Nations like France, where online betting is taxed at 59.3 percent of GGR, or Portugal, with its 8 percent turnover tax on online sports betting, would also feel an impact.

Negotiations over the contents of the EU budget are set to continue for several months, with the approval process expected to be completed in late 2026 or early 2027.

Leaders in the Council of Europe have agreed to come to a preliminary deal on the MFF by October, according to a coordinated statement issued earlier this month.

Malta’s devout opposition to a possible gambling levy is just one of a range of issues under discussion, including a stark divide between nations such as Germany, which favour spending cuts, and the Friends of Cohesion, who want additional cash for agriculture and regional funding.

The post Malta Prepares For EU Budget Battle To Stave Off Gambling Levy appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

SiGMA Foundation is continuing its longstanding support for Dreams of Horses Farm in Xagħra, Gozo, strengthening a partnership built around mental wellbeing, inclusion, rehabilitation and practical care.

The farm, a long-term beneficiary of the SiGMA Foundation, provides equine-assisted learning and animal-assisted therapy for children and adults who benefit from structured support in a calm rural setting. Its work reaches children with special needs, adults managing mental health challenges and people on rehabilitation pathways, including former inmates and individuals facing social vulnerability.

The Foundation’s support has focused on both immediate needs and the programme’s future sustainability. In 2024, the SiGMA Foundation donated EUR 50,000 towards the construction of a new block at the farm, dedicated to Equestrian Assisted Learning and Animal Assisted Therapy programmes. The continued relationship reflects an approach that looks beyond single interventions, supporting the facilities and operational foundations that keep the farm open, stable and useful to the community.

In addition to this contribution, SiGMA Foundation is donating this year a further EUR 30,000 to support the farm’s ongoing operations and help sustain its therapeutic and educational work. The continued relationship reflects an approach that looks beyond single interventions, supporting the facilities and operational foundations that allow the farm to remain open, stable and useful to the community.

Dreams of Horses Farm has become a safe and structured environment where people can work with animals, develop routine and build trust through direct care. For many participants, the farm offers a setting where progress is measured not by pressure but by small acts of connection, confidence and responsibility.

Equine-assisted learning is increasingly recognised as a meaningful form of non-clinical support. Horses respond to human behaviour without judgement. Their sensitivity can help participants notice their emotions and actions in the moment, while grooming, feeding, leading and caring for the animals can encourage patience, communication and self-regulation.

For people experiencing anxiety, developmental challenges, trauma or social reintegration, this interaction can support emotional awareness, confidence, self-esteem and the ability to relate to others. The rhythm of farm life can also provide structure and purpose, especially for those rebuilding a sense of routine.

The farm’s programmes are designed for a wide range of beneficiaries. Children with additional needs can engage with animals in ways that support communication and social development. Adults facing mental health challenges can access a setting that encourages calm, responsibility and physical presence. People moving through rehabilitation pathways are given space to reconnect with themselves and others through constructive, care-based activity.

The partnership reflects the SiGMA Foundation’s commitment to supporting initiatives that promote inclusion, wellbeing and opportunities for personal development. Through its continued investment in Dreams of Horses Farm, the Foundation is helping to ensure that therapeutic and educational programmes remain accessible to those who benefit from them most.

Victor Muscat, owner of Dreams of Horses Farm, has also spoken about the importance of the relationship between people and animals, noting that such interactions provide knowledge, sensory experience and emotions that are not always transferred through conventional education.

The post SiGMA Foundation Continues its Longstanding Support for Dreams of Horses Farm in Gozo appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.