Malta Gaming License: MGA Costs and Requirements in 2026
Malta is the EU's flagship gaming jurisdiction, and the MGA license is priced accordingly. The fee law has not moved since 2019, but the real cost sits in the revenue-based compliance contribution, the locked share capital, and the compliance machine you have to build.
This guide carries the numbers from the fee regulations and the MGA's own guidance, the capital rules that tightened in 2025, and the tax change that lands on October 1, 2026.
Every figure on this page comes from the regulator's own documents. Last verified July 13, 2026.
Our verdict, in brief
Malta sells regulatory weight, not speed or price. The fixed fees look moderate at EUR 5,000 to apply and EUR 25,000 a year, but a casino operator also pays a compliance contribution that starts at 1.25 percent of revenue, locks EUR 100,000 in share capital, and since 2025 must keep equity positive at all times. Two things consultants rarely say out loud: the MGA publishes no processing-time target at all, and the widely quoted 12 to 16 weeks is not on the official record. And from October 1, 2026 the Malta-facing gaming tax jumps from 5 percent to 15 percent for casino and 10 percent for the other verticals.
What the license costs
Fees come from the Gaming Licence Fees Regulations, S.L. 583.03, unchanged since 2019. The operator side is two-layered: a fixed annual fee plus a compliance contribution charged on gaming revenue in cumulative bands, each euro band at its own rate.
| Fee | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Application, operator or supplierMGA terms: Gaming Service licence (B2C) / Critical Gaming Supply licence (B2B) | EUR 5,000 | One time, non-refundable |
| Operator fixed annual feeEUR 10,000 if the licence covers only Type 4 skill games | EUR 25,000 | In advance for 12 months |
| Compliance contribution, casino (Type 1)1.25% on the first EUR 3M, sliding to 0.40% above EUR 30M | min EUR 15,000, max EUR 375,000 | Monthly, on gaming revenue |
| Compliance contribution, betting (Type 2)4% on the first EUR 3M, sliding to 0.40% | min EUR 25,000, max EUR 600,000 | Monthly, on gaming revenue |
| Compliance contribution, P2P (Type 3)4% on the first EUR 2M, sliding to 0.40% | min EUR 25,000, max EUR 500,000 | Monthly, on gaming revenue |
| Compliance contribution, skill games (Type 4)The only inverted curve: 0.50% rising to 2.00% as revenue grows | min EUR 5,000, max EUR 500,000 | Monthly, on gaming revenue |
| Supplier annual fee, game contentEUR 25k up to EUR 5M revenue, EUR 30k to EUR 10M, EUR 35k above | EUR 25,000–35,000 | In advance, banded by revenue |
| Supplier annual fee, back officeSoftware processing regulatory records only. EUR 3k up to EUR 1M revenue | EUR 3,000–5,000 | In advance, banded by revenue |
| Key function approval | EUR 50 | Per person, one time |
| License renewal (every 10 years) | EUR 5,000 | One time |
| Adding a domain | EUR 100 | Per domain |
Source: S.L. 583.03 Gaming Licence Fees Regulations, consolidated text (legislation.mt)
The first-year math
A casino operator's first-year MGA bill is smaller than the table suggests: EUR 5,000 application plus the EUR 25,000 fixed fee, and the compliance contribution minimum does not apply in the first licence period. Qualifying startups pay no contribution at all for the first 12 months. Around EUR 30,000 in fees, then. The real entry barriers are the EUR 100,000 share capital you must pay up and the systems audit before go-live, and neither is a fee.
Requirements
Company and people
Any EU or EEA company can apply. There is no published requirement for Malta-resident directors or a mandatory local office for remote licenses. Every key function holder needs personal MGA approval with fit-and-proper screening at EUR 50 per certificate.
Share capital and positive equity
Tightened May 2025Types 1 and 2 need EUR 100,000 in paid-up capital, Types 3 and 4 and suppliers EUR 40,000, cumulative across types but capped at EUR 240,000.
Since the May 2025 Capital Requirements Policy licensees must also keep equity positive at all times. Negative equity has to be restored within 6 months of financial year end, and supplier-only licensees get tolerance down to minus EUR 3M.
Systems audit before go-live
After the desktop review the applicant gets 60 days to stand the system up in a technical environment and pass an external audit by a firm from the MGA's pre-approved list. After the license issues there are 90 days to go live.
Gaming tax, separate from fees
Changes Oct 1, 2026Until September 30, 2026 Malta taxes only Malta-facing play at 5 percent. From October 1 the rate becomes 15 percent for casino and 10 percent for the other types, the taxable trigger switches to player residence in Malta, and live-studio suppliers pick up a EUR 3,000 annual broadcasting levy.
How the application runs
Everything runs through the MGA's LRMS portal as one application with staged reviews. The MGA publishes no target processing time, so treat any week count you are quoted as the consultant's estimate, not the regulator's commitment.
- 1
File the full package
Application with the complete system documentation checklist. An incomplete file gets one 60-day window, then rejection.
- 2
Fit and proper plus funding review
Screening of shareholders, UBOs, and key persons, with probity checks against other regulators, then source of wealth and source of funds review.
- 3
Business plan and policy review
Financial forecasts, procedures, player protection and AML frameworks.
- 4
Technical review and system audit
60 days to implementDesktop review first, then the system goes up in a technical environment and passes an independent audit from the MGA's approved list.
- 5
Grant
10-year licenseLicense issues for 10 years with 90 days to go live.
The regime, dated
The regime is stable, which is part of what you pay for. The dates that matter:
Gaming Act era begins
The current framework under Cap. 583 replaced the old multi-class system with the two-license structure and the game type taxonomy.
Last fee change
L.N. 266 of 2019 was the last amendment to the fee regulations. Every fee on this page has been stable since.
Capital rules get teeth
The Capital Requirements Policy turned share capital guidance into a binding instrument and added the positive-equity obligation with restoration deadlines.
Tax reform published
L.N. 84 of 2026 set the new gaming tax rates and the residence-based trigger, with companion VAT changes in L.N. 86.
New tax rates in force
15 percent for Type 1, 10 percent for Types 2 to 4 on Malta-facing revenue, plus the EUR 3,000 live-studio broadcasting levy.
Registers and official documents
Malta pairs a searchable licensee register with a URL checker and a separate enforcement register, public infrastructure only Estonia matches in this directory.
Who can help you get it
6Firms from our vetted catalog that service this jurisdiction. Each one holds a registry-verifiable corporate record, checked July 13, 2026. Firms without a verifiable footprint are not listed anywhere on this site.
CSB Group
Swatar, Malta · since 1987Malta corporate services group with a licensed CSP core, in the industry since 1987
Three group companies authorized on the MFSA Financial Services Register: CSB International (Class C CSP), CSBL Advisory (Class B CSP), CSB Trustees & Fiduciaries
SiGMA Best Corporate Services Provider 2021, 2023 and 2024, SiGMA Euro-Med 2025 exhibitor
Gofaizen & Sherle
Tallinn, Estonia · since 2021Licensing-focused consultancy covering 30+ gambling jurisdictions
Estonian registry 16295888 since 2021, both name partners on the board, 23 staff and EUR 4.89M revenue in 2024
SBSB Fintech Lawyers
London / Tallinn · since 2013Fintech and gambling law firm running license work across 30+ jurisdictions
UK LLP OC384762 active since 2013 plus an Estonian entity since 2018, founder Yuliya Barabash
GBO
Givatayim, Israel · since 2009Small Israeli corporate-services shop selling offshore gaming setups since 2009
Israeli Corporations Authority record 514311232, active since 2009, named principals
iGB L!VE 2026 exhibitor directory listing
WH Partners
Ta' Xbiex, Malta · since 2006Malta gaming law firm with the strongest bench rankings in the market
Chambers Global 2025 ranks four partners in gaming, Olga Finkel and James Scicluna in Band 1
Partner Joseph F. Borg is a former Chief Regulatory Officer of Malta's gaming regulator
GVZH Advocates
Valletta, Malta · since 2007Valletta law firm running MGA licensing and gaming compliance
Contributor firm for the Chambers Global Practice Guide on Malta gaming law
Frequently asked
What operators ask before picking this jurisdiction, answered from the official record.
How much does a Malta gaming license cost?+
EUR 5,000 to apply and EUR 25,000 a year as the fixed fee for an operator, plus a compliance contribution charged on gaming revenue in bands, from 1.25 percent down to 0.40 percent for casino with a EUR 15,000 minimum and EUR 375,000 maximum per period. The minimum is waived in the first licence period and qualifying startups pay no contribution for their first 12 months, so a first year in MGA fees is around EUR 30,000. Share capital of EUR 100,000 for casino and betting comes on top, locked, not spent.
How long does the MGA application take?+
The MGA does not publish a processing-time target. Neither the current FAQ nor the application guidance names a week count, so the 12 to 16 weeks quoted across consultant sites is an estimate, not an official commitment. The knowable parts of the clock: incomplete applications get one 60-day window, the technical implementation gets 60 days, and after grant there are 90 days to go live.
What is the difference between the B2C and B2B license?+
The Gaming Service licence is for operators facing players. The Critical Gaming Supply licence covers suppliers, and it has two very different price tracks: game content suppliers pay EUR 25,000 to 35,000 a year by revenue, while suppliers of back-office software that only processes regulatory records pay EUR 3,000 to 5,000. That second tier exists in the Third Schedule of the fee law and rarely makes it into consultant pricing pages.
Do I need an office or resident directors in Malta?+
For remote licenses, no such requirement is published. Any EU or EEA company can apply, and the MGA's guidance contains no resident-director or local-office mandate. What Malta does demand is approved key function holders, EUR 40,000 to 100,000 in paid-up capital, and, since 2025, permanently positive equity.
What changes on October 1, 2026?+
The gaming tax. The flat 5 percent on Malta-facing play becomes 15 percent for casino and 10 percent for betting, P2P, and skill games, and the trigger switches from where the player sits to whether the player is resident in Malta. License fees themselves do not change. Live-studio suppliers also pick up a EUR 3,000 annual broadcasting levy.
Is a 10-year license really 10 years?+
Yes, the licence term is 10 years with a EUR 5,000 renewal, against 5 years in the Isle of Man and 6-month initial terms in Kahnawake. The MGA can still suspend or cancel it at any point through the enforcement register, so the term is a planning horizon, not a guarantee.
Where to go from here
Malta is the heavyweight option. Compare the entry cost against the alternatives before committing.