The Malta Gaming Authority is releasing its Interim Performance Report for January to June 2025, which may be viewed here. The report provides a review of the Authority’s accomplishments for the first half of 2025, together with a description of the Maltese gaming industry’s performance over the same period. The latter provides a medium-term outlook towards the future, as well as an analysis outlining important statistics for the land-based and online gaming industries.

Authorisation Activities

• Between January and June 2025, we received 28 applications for new gaming licences and issued eight licences. In addition, we have received a further six gaming licence renewal applications from operators to renew their gaming licence which was bound to expire during the first six months of 2025 and issued five licence renewals.
• Low-risk games require a permit, which is valid only for a singular event and expires when the event is concluded. To this end, we issued 898 permits for non-profit tombola, eight permits for non-profit lottery and 75 certificates for commercial communication games.
• As part of our process to assess applications, we carried out 723 criminal probity screening checks on authorised persons, persons holding qualifying interest, directors, key persons, and any third-party 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, which made 34 decisions. In four cases, the Committee determined that the criteria to be considered as fit and proper were not met.
• The Supervisory Council reviewed 16 gaming licence applications, including both applications to obtain a new gaming licence as well as to renew an existing licence. Out of these, two applications were rejected on the grounds that the information or submission made to the Authority with respect to such licence applications was found to be false, misleading, inaccurate, or materially incomplete following the completion of the ‘Minded Letter’ process.

Supervisory Activities

• In the first six months of 2025, we concluded seven full-scope compliance audits, which were complemented by a total of 87 thematic reviews in the areas of compliance, player protection, and sport betting integrity.
• As part of our efforts to safeguard players and promote responsible gambling, we resolved a total of 1,720 requests for assistance (including spill-over from 2024).
• Also, as part of our mission to continuously endeavour to safeguard player funds, between January and June 2025, we received 891 player funds reports and carried out 9 data extractions.
• As we continued to strengthen our efforts to identify unauthorised URLs linked to unregulated gaming activity, a total of 75 URLs were reviewed, and 34 were found to contain fraudulent references to the Authority or its licensees. These were added to our publicly available list on our website.
• The Commercial Communications Committee made four decisions regarding possible breaches of the Gaming Commercial Communications Regulations (S.L. 583.09).
• During the first six months of 2025, 11 AML/CFT Compliance Examinations were initiated by the FIAU or by us on its behalf. Furthermore, 11 such Compliance Examinations were concluded, and one closure letter was issued to a licensee who successfully addressed the identified issues after receiving a report.
• Furthermore, three licensees were subject to remediation measures within the scope of the Remediation Directives, imposed by the FIAU.
• We also carried out 16 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, we carried a total of 4,198 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 June 2025, we also issued a total of 23 cease and desist letters, 15 warnings, 23 administrative penalties, which amounted to €139,360, and one licence cancellation.
• During the first six months of 2025, one appeal was lodged, which remains pending, and two appeals lodged in previous years were withdrawn.

National and International Cooperation

• Between January and June 2025, we received 149 suspicious betting reports from licensees. As part of our continued efforts to fight against match-fixing and malicious betting, we shared 88 alerts on suspicious betting with licensees, following enhanced risk-based filtering, and participated in 30 investigations across the globe.
• We also collaborated with enforcement agencies, sports governing bodies, integrity units, and other regulatory authorities on 25 requests for information and participated in 41 instances of data exchanges.
• We received 29 requests for international collaboration from other regulators, and we sent four requests ourselves. The requests received were mostly generic requests for cooperation or requests for background checks as part of authorisations process.
• We issued 31 official replies to provide feedback on the regulatory good standing of our licensed operators to the relevant authorities requesting this information.
• During the reporting period, we collaborated with local regulating authorities and governing bodies on 110 requests for information.

The MGA will publish a full-year industry performance report during the second half of 2026, when it publishes its Annual Report for the financial year ending 31 December 2025.