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The MGA publishes its 2022 Annual Report and Financial Statements
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA/Authority) is publishing its Annual Report and audited Financial Statements for the financial year ending 31 December 2022. In addition to outlining the performance of the Maltese gaming business in 2022, the report gives a broad summary of the Authority’s accomplishments during the year under review and offers a medium-term outlook for the future. A thorough report outlining key statistics for the land-based and online gaming industries is then presented.
Supervisory Activities
- 28 compliance audits were conducted and 228 desktop reviews were carried out during 2022, accompanied by additional AML/CFT compliance examinations that are carried out by the FIAU, or by the MGA on its behalf. Following information which emerged from compliance audits, compliance reviews and formal investigations, the Authority issued 10 warnings and cancelled six (6) licences. In addition, the MGA issued a total of 16 administrative penalties as well as three (3) regulatory settlements, with a collective total financial penalty of €179,150.
- A total of 25 licensees were subject to remediation and/or administrative measures by the FIAU, ranging from written reprimands to administrative penalties, based on the breaches identified during examinations carried out in previous years, including by the MGA. In total, these amounted to just over €738,000.
- Six (6) individuals and companies were deemed by the Fit & Proper Committee to not be up to the Authority’s probity standards due to various factors, including due to the risks of money laundering or funding of terrorism.
- Forty-one (41) gaming licence applications were received during 2022. Thirty-one (31) licences were issued, while twenty-one (21) were unsuccessful.
- Over 1,500 criminal probity screening checks were undertaken on individuals, shareholders and ultimate beneficial owners, key persons and other employees, and companies from both the land-based and online gaming sectors.
- The Authority conducted 48 interviews with prospective MLROs and key persons carrying out the AML/CFT function to determine the knowledge and suitability of each candidate.
- The Commercial Communication Committee of the MGA issued a total of nine (9) Letters of Breach following breaches of the Commercial Communications Regulations (S.L. 583.09).
- In its efforts to protect players and encourage responsible gambling, the Authority supported a total of 5,280 players who requested assistance, covering most of the cases received during 2022 and the spill-over from 2021.
- The MGA conducted 85 responsible gaming-themed website checks, through which 38 URLs were found to have misleading information. This led to 17 notices being published on the MGA website, and 30 observation letters that were sent out reflecting responsible gaming issues.
Improvements in Efficiency and Effectiveness
- The Authority commissioned a sectorial skills strategy to address the gaming industry’s challenges with respect to the ongoing demand for qualified and skilled human capital, which increased significantly as the economy grew and diversified into numerous sectors.
- Consultation exercises were conducted with industry stakeholders regarding the bets offered by licensees – with a focus on sports integrity and player protection considerations – on the proposed amendments to the Player Protection Directive (Directive 2 of 2018), and on the proposed policy on the use of Innovative Technology Arrangements (ITAs) and the acceptance of Virtual Financial Assets (VFAs) and Virtual Tokens, which led to amendments and a finalised Policy, respectively.
- The Authority streamlined the approval process of appointing an MLRO in collaboration with the FIAU while, at the same time, ensuring that the industry is kept updated on any changes affecting this process and on any best practices that are intrinsic to the role of the MLRO.
- The concept of Agreed-Upon Procedures (AUPs) Reports was introduced, covering player funds and Gaming Revenue. Audit firms are drawing up these reports in compliance with the ‘International Standard on Related Services (ISRS) 4400 (Revised) Agreed-Upon Procedures Engagements’.
- The MGA kickstarted a process for possibly implementing a voluntary Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Code of Good Practice for the industry to showcase and increase the positive social and environmental impacts of the gambling sector.
National and International Cooperation
- Throughout 2022, the Authority issued 43 news items on its website and 26 external communications, providing a synopsis of various updates and developments at the Authority and across the industry.
- A total of 224 alerts were sent to the industry, 167 of which were also sent to the appropriate Sports Governing Bodies.
- A total of 44 requests for information specifically relating to the manipulation of sports competitions or breaches in sports rules were submitted by enforcement agencies, sport governing bodies, integrity units, and other regulatory bodies. As a result of such requests, data was exchanged in 25 instances. Additionally, a total of 475 suspicious betting reports from licensees and other concerned parties were received.
- During the period under review, the Authority was a direct participant in 15 different investigations across the globe relating to the manipulation of sports competitions or breaches in sports rules, as well as an indirect participant in 3 such investigations.
- The Authority received a total of 83 international cooperation requests from other regulators and sent 97 such requests, with the majority referring to requests for background checks as part of an authorisation process.
- A total of 177 official replies were issued providing feedback on the regulatory good standing of our licensed operators to the relevant authorities asking for this information.
- The MGA works together with other local regulating authorities and governing bodies. This is reflected through responses furnished by the MGA to requests for information made by the Asset Recovery Bureau (ARB), the FIAU, as well as the MPF on the gaming sector. Additionally, the relevant information is provided to the Sanctions Monitoring Board (SMB) to assist in issuing penalties in instances of non-compliance with sanctions screening obligations.
In publishing this report, the CEO, Dr Carl Brincat said: “This report is testament to our collective efforts in promoting a fair and sustainable gaming ecosystem. Through proactive measures and leaner regulation processes, we strive to ensure a level playing field that nurtures innovation while safeguarding against any potential risks.
“As the global gaming landscape evolves, our role becomes even more critical. We embrace this responsibility with utmost determination, working tirelessly to stay ahead of emerging trends, technologies, and challenges. We remain steadfast in our pursuit of robust frameworks that inspire confidence, protect vulnerable individuals and render Malta the home for gaming operators of good will.”
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Following Meta’s algorithm updates, many media buying teams found it much more difficult to scale Facebook traffic. Customer acquisition costs increased, advertising accounts became less stable, and even successful campaign combinations lost their effectiveness faster.
In the new Success Story, N1 Partners explains how they helped a media buying team specializing in Facebook traffic for the iGaming vertical adapt to changing market conditions and successfully scale traffic acquisition across Tier-1 GEOs.
The results after nine months of collaboration were impressive: a 155% increase in FTDs, 135% ROI, and a 22% reduction in average CPA.
About partner
The featured partner is a media buying team with four years of experience in affiliate marketing, specializing in Facebook traffic acquisition for iGaming products.
At the beginning of the partnership, the team was already working with Tier-1 GEOs, including Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia. They consistently identified profitable campaign combinations but encountered the typical scaling limitations faced by many teams in the industry.
To continue growing, they needed a partner offering high-quality products with strong Reg2Dep and LTV performance, reliable payouts, and responsive support capable of handling increasing traffic volumes.
Why did they choose N1 Partners?
Several factors influenced their decision:
- High Reg2Dep rates;
- Strong player LTV performance;
- Reliable and consistent payouts;
- Fast and responsive affiliate manager support;
- The ability to work with multiple brands within a single ecosystem.
For the initial testing phase, the team selected N1 Bet, RollXO, Lucky Hunter, and Retro Bet.
| “Working with several brands at the same time gave the team much greater flexibility. Whenever one product started losing performance, we could quickly redirect traffic to another brand without interrupting our buying activity,” explained Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners. |
Preparing for launch
Before launching the campaigns, N1 Partners specialists analyzed the partner’s previous performance and proposed a structured testing plan.
Instead of focusing on a single offer, they decided to test multiple brands simultaneously. This approach allowed them to identify much faster which products performed best with Facebook traffic in each GEO.
At the start, the partner also received several recommendations:
- Start with the CPA payment model;
- Separate advertising campaigns by audience type;
- Build dedicated landing pages for each GEO instead of using one universal funnel;
- Test broad audiences without narrow interest-based targeting;
- Use multiple creative formats;
- Evaluate not only registration costs but also the quality of acquired players.
This strategy helped identify promising campaign combinations early while preventing unnecessary spending on underperforming campaigns.
Choosing GEOs, offers and creatives
N1 Partners affiliate manager shared internal performance data highlighting products that consistently delivered strong results with Facebook traffic.
For the first stage, three high-potential GEOs with stable demand were selected:
- Canada;
- Germany;
- New Zealand.
Australia was intentionally excluded from the initial testing phase to concentrate the available budget on fewer markets and collect meaningful data more quickly.
Offers were selected primarily based on two key metrics: deposit conversion rate and player quality. Among all available brands, the selected products consistently demonstrated the strongest overall performance.
For every GEO, the team created special creatives featuring localized visual elements and market-specific bonus offers.
Workflow organization
After launch, specialists from N1 Partners worked alongside the partner on a daily basis, analyzing campaign performance and deciding on the next optimization steps.
| “Regular data sharing allowed us to detect changes almost immediately. We didn’t wait until the end of the week, we adjusted offers, budgets, and creatives as soon as we saw a consistent performance signal,” noted Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners. |
Teams closely monitored:
- Reg2Dep and LTV;
- Player quality;
- Budget allocation between products;
- Individual GEO performance;
- Results of newly launched creatives.
Most operational questions were resolved by the affiliate manager within a few hours. This allowed the partner to quickly switch offers and launch additional tests without interrupting traffic acquisition.
Initial hypotheses
During the preparation phase, N1 Partners suggested testing several working hypotheses:
- Video creatives could outperform static banners;
- Different advertising concepts might attract audiences of different quality;
- Rapid budget increases could reduce campaign stability;
- Evaluating traffic solely based on acquisition cost does not reflect its actual value.
The team tested lifestyle creatives, game-focused concepts, bonus offers, and social proof elements. Budgets were increased gradually, while campaign performance was evaluated not only by CPA but also by player behavior after making their first deposit.
| “The ability to compare several brands simultaneously played a crucial role. Whenever statistics indicated a decline in traffic quality, we suggested another product or reallocated the budget. This helped maintain acquisition momentum without relying on a single offer,” commented Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners. |
Strategy and optimization
After the initial testing phase, the team focused on increasing traffic volumes without compromising player quality.
To achieve this, the partner:
- Duplicated the highest-performing campaigns;
- Regularly launched new creatives;
- Split campaigns by device type;
- Applied successful approaches to markets with similar audience characteristics.
At the same time, budgets were increased gradually, helping maintain campaign stability while keeping CPA within the target range.
What delivered the best results?
Four optimization strategies produced the strongest performance improvements:
- Creative localization;
- Continuous production of fresh advertising materials;
- Pausing underperforming campaign combinations within the first 48 hours;
- Optimizing based on player quality rather than CPA alone.
At one stage of the campaign, the affiliate manager noticed that one of the brands was achieving a significantly higher Reg2Dep rate from Facebook traffic in Canada.
After jointly reviewing the data, part of the advertising budget was shifted toward that product.
| “The decision was based on more than just the number of deposits. We also evaluated player LTV and repeated activity. After reallocating the budget, profitability increased, and further scaling became much more stable,” said Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners. |
Results
After nine months of collaboration, every key performance indicator improved significantly.
- Monthly FTDs increased from 450 to 1,150 (+155%);
- ROI increased from 86% to 135%;
- Average CPA decreased by 22%;
- Revenue increased by approximately 2.5 times;
- Player LTV increased by 25%.
The most important achievement was not a single successful campaign but the creation of a sustainable Facebook traffic acquisition model. The partner was able to continuously scale traffic across Tier-1 GEOs without experiencing a proportional increase in acquisition costs.
Key takeaways
- What was the biggest advantage of working with N1 Partners?
According to the media buying team, working with N1 Partners helped establish a clear and scalable traffic acquisition process.
The main contributing factors were high-quality products, strong Reg2Dep performance, and constant communication with the affiliate manager. The team also emphasized that N1 Partners specialists proactively suggested new testing hypotheses before market changes began noticeably affecting campaign performance. This allowed them to stay ahead of industry trends instead of reacting only after performance had already declined.
- What made the results possible?
Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners: “The biggest factor behind our success was the partner’s willingness to continuously test new approaches. We evaluated not only Facebook campaign metrics but also player quality for every brand and GEO. This enabled us to redistribute budgets quickly and focus on the most promising campaign combinations.
After launching localized creatives and testing new audiences, the number of FTDs in Canada nearly doubled within just a few weeks, while campaign ROI remained stable. This clearly demonstrated the importance of continuous testing, fast analytics, and close collaboration between both teams”.
Scale your Facebook traffic with N1 Partners!
N1 Partners gives affiliates access to:
- 14+ casino and betting brands with high Reg2Dep
- 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
- CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top partners
Be number one with N1!
The post FB Success Story +155% FTD, 135% ROI appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
Following Meta’s algorithm updates, many media buying teams found it much more difficult to scale Facebook traffic. Customer acquisition costs increased, advertising accounts became less stable, and even successful campaign combinations lost their effectiveness faster.
In the new Success Story, N1 Partners explains how they helped a media buying team specializing in Facebook traffic for the iGaming vertical adapt to changing market conditions and successfully scale traffic acquisition across Tier-1 GEOs.
The results after nine months of collaboration were impressive: a 155% increase in FTDs, 135% ROI, and a 22% reduction in average CPA.
About partner
The featured partner is a media buying team with four years of experience in affiliate marketing, specializing in Facebook traffic acquisition for iGaming products.
At the beginning of the partnership, the team was already working with Tier-1 GEOs, including Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and Australia. They consistently identified profitable campaign combinations but encountered the typical scaling limitations faced by many teams in the industry.
To continue growing, they needed a partner offering high-quality products with strong Reg2Dep and LTV performance, reliable payouts, and responsive support capable of handling increasing traffic volumes.
Why did they choose N1 Partners?
Several factors influenced their decision:
- High Reg2Dep rates;
- Strong player LTV performance;
- Reliable and consistent payouts;
- Fast and responsive affiliate manager support;
- The ability to work with multiple brands within a single ecosystem.
For the initial testing phase, the team selected N1 Bet, RollXO, Lucky Hunter, and Retro Bet.
| “Working with several brands at the same time gave the team much greater flexibility. Whenever one product started losing performance, we could quickly redirect traffic to another brand without interrupting our buying activity,” explained Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners. |
Preparing for launch
Before launching the campaigns, N1 Partners specialists analyzed the partner’s previous performance and proposed a structured testing plan.
Instead of focusing on a single offer, they decided to test multiple brands simultaneously. This approach allowed them to identify much faster which products performed best with Facebook traffic in each GEO.
At the start, the partner also received several recommendations:
- Start with the CPA payment model;
- Separate advertising campaigns by audience type;
- Build dedicated landing pages for each GEO instead of using one universal funnel;
- Test broad audiences without narrow interest-based targeting;
- Use multiple creative formats;
- Evaluate not only registration costs but also the quality of acquired players.
This strategy helped identify promising campaign combinations early while preventing unnecessary spending on underperforming campaigns.
Choosing GEOs, offers and creatives
N1 Partners affiliate manager shared internal performance data highlighting products that consistently delivered strong results with Facebook traffic.
For the first stage, three high-potential GEOs with stable demand were selected:
- Canada;
- Germany;
- New Zealand.
Australia was intentionally excluded from the initial testing phase to concentrate the available budget on fewer markets and collect meaningful data more quickly.
Offers were selected primarily based on two key metrics: deposit conversion rate and player quality. Among all available brands, the selected products consistently demonstrated the strongest overall performance.
For every GEO, the team created special creatives featuring localized visual elements and market-specific bonus offers.
Workflow organization
After launch, specialists from N1 Partners worked alongside the partner on a daily basis, analyzing campaign performance and deciding on the next optimization steps.
| “Regular data sharing allowed us to detect changes almost immediately. We didn’t wait until the end of the week, we adjusted offers, budgets, and creatives as soon as we saw a consistent performance signal,” noted Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners. |
Teams closely monitored:
- Reg2Dep and LTV;
- Player quality;
- Budget allocation between products;
- Individual GEO performance;
- Results of newly launched creatives.
Most operational questions were resolved by the affiliate manager within a few hours. This allowed the partner to quickly switch offers and launch additional tests without interrupting traffic acquisition.
Initial hypotheses
During the preparation phase, N1 Partners suggested testing several working hypotheses:
- Video creatives could outperform static banners;
- Different advertising concepts might attract audiences of different quality;
- Rapid budget increases could reduce campaign stability;
- Evaluating traffic solely based on acquisition cost does not reflect its actual value.
The team tested lifestyle creatives, game-focused concepts, bonus offers, and social proof elements. Budgets were increased gradually, while campaign performance was evaluated not only by CPA but also by player behavior after making their first deposit.
| “The ability to compare several brands simultaneously played a crucial role. Whenever statistics indicated a decline in traffic quality, we suggested another product or reallocated the budget. This helped maintain acquisition momentum without relying on a single offer,” commented Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners. |
Strategy and optimization
After the initial testing phase, the team focused on increasing traffic volumes without compromising player quality.
To achieve this, the partner:
- Duplicated the highest-performing campaigns;
- Regularly launched new creatives;
- Split campaigns by device type;
- Applied successful approaches to markets with similar audience characteristics.
At the same time, budgets were increased gradually, helping maintain campaign stability while keeping CPA within the target range.
What delivered the best results?
Four optimization strategies produced the strongest performance improvements:
- Creative localization;
- Continuous production of fresh advertising materials;
- Pausing underperforming campaign combinations within the first 48 hours;
- Optimizing based on player quality rather than CPA alone.
At one stage of the campaign, the affiliate manager noticed that one of the brands was achieving a significantly higher Reg2Dep rate from Facebook traffic in Canada.
After jointly reviewing the data, part of the advertising budget was shifted toward that product.
| “The decision was based on more than just the number of deposits. We also evaluated player LTV and repeated activity. After reallocating the budget, profitability increased, and further scaling became much more stable,” said Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners. |
Results
After nine months of collaboration, every key performance indicator improved significantly.
- Monthly FTDs increased from 450 to 1,150 (+155%);
- ROI increased from 86% to 135%;
- Average CPA decreased by 22%;
- Revenue increased by approximately 2.5 times;
- Player LTV increased by 25%.
The most important achievement was not a single successful campaign but the creation of a sustainable Facebook traffic acquisition model. The partner was able to continuously scale traffic across Tier-1 GEOs without experiencing a proportional increase in acquisition costs.
Key takeaways
- What was the biggest advantage of working with N1 Partners?
According to the media buying team, working with N1 Partners helped establish a clear and scalable traffic acquisition process.
The main contributing factors were high-quality products, strong Reg2Dep performance, and constant communication with the affiliate manager. The team also emphasized that N1 Partners specialists proactively suggested new testing hypotheses before market changes began noticeably affecting campaign performance. This allowed them to stay ahead of industry trends instead of reacting only after performance had already declined.
- What made the results possible?
Polina Bogatko, Affiliate Manager N1 Partners: “The biggest factor behind our success was the partner’s willingness to continuously test new approaches. We evaluated not only Facebook campaign metrics but also player quality for every brand and GEO. This enabled us to redistribute budgets quickly and focus on the most promising campaign combinations.
After launching localized creatives and testing new audiences, the number of FTDs in Canada nearly doubled within just a few weeks, while campaign ROI remained stable. This clearly demonstrated the importance of continuous testing, fast analytics, and close collaboration between both teams”.
Scale your Facebook traffic with N1 Partners!
N1 Partners gives affiliates access to:
- 14+ casino and betting brands with high Reg2Dep
- 10+ Tier-1 GEOs
- CPA up to €700 and RevShare up to 55% + NNCO for top partners
Be number one with N1!
The post FB Success Story +155% FTD, 135% ROI appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.
The updated slot launches on Lottomart for UK players on 23rd July with a new bonus wheel and higher max win.
Blueprint Gaming is releasing an upgraded version of Super Graphics Upside Down exclusively on Lottomart from 23rd July, giving Lottomart’s UK players early access to the title.
Originally launched in 2021, Super Graphics Upside Down is being re-released with a new bonus wheel feature and an increased max win potential, rising from 250X to 3000X, according to the companies.
Chris Ruddock, Commercial Director at Lottomart, said:
“Securing an early release exclusive on the new Super Graphics Upside Down is another exciting milestone for Lottomart. Blueprint Gaming has upgraded a fantastic game with engaging new features and bigger win potential, and we’re delighted to offer this game exclusively to our UK players.”
Elliott Kyne, Account Manager at Blueprint Gaming, said:
“We’re delighted to support Lottomart with the exclusive UK launch of Super Graphics Upside Down. It’s also pleasing to see our partnership continue to go from strength to strength, and Lottomart’s impressive growth and UK focus has made them a match made in heaven for Blueprint’s content. We’re SUPER excited to bring this latest release to their players.”
The companies said the launch is part of their ongoing partnership, with Blueprint Gaming providing exclusive content as Lottomart expands its UK presence.
The post Blueprint Gaming upgrades Super Graphics Upside Down for Lottomart exclusive appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.
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