Maltese Gaming Licenсe: Confident Start in the Gambling Market

Malta is a small island state in southern Europe. The country does not have a powerful industrial sector or huge deposits of valuable minerals. The lion's share of the island's GDP comes from the gambling industry, which is rapidly developing.

You can obtain a prestigious Maltese licence with the help of CASEXE. Contact our manager and learn more about the features and benefits of the permit.

Gaming as a Priority Economy Sector

Malta is the first European country to legalise the gambling industry to the full.

The Remote Gaming Regulations were adopted in 2004. This has made the jurisdiction one of the most popular in the world for launching web gambling start-ups.

Today, gaming is one of the 3 leading sectors of the island's economy, along with tourism and the financial segment.

In terms of investment, the industry ranks fifth. In total, the gambling field generates 13% of the GDP per year. Dozens of prestigious entertainment halls and hundreds of registered internet projects operate in the country.

B2B direction is involved in the sector — consulting, game development, hosting management, and other related areas. In general, the gambling field employs 5% of the island's workers, including highly qualified personnel (these are mainly coders, QA engineers, marketers, and web architects).

The impetus for the development of the gambling sphere was the adoption of updated legislation in 2018 since the government:

• simplified the licensing of casinos in Malta;
• extended the term of the permit;
• reduced the tax burden on businesses.

The country hosts a prestigious industry event — SiGMA. The annual summit is held in October-November. It attracts hundreds of developers, operators, and investors. Many meetings and presentations are held at the Malta Convention Centre (MFCC).

Universal Approach to the Legalisation of Gambling Projects

The licence for gaming activities in Malta is available to operators, bookmakers, owners of poker rooms, and lottery sites. The country legalises the work of land-based halls. Therefore, entrepreneurs can manage both casinos and internet gambling projects simultaneously.

The MGA (the Maltese Gaming Commission) offers several types of permits:

In 2018, the government updated the gambling legislation. One of the innovations of MGA is the simplification of the B2C document obtaining. Holders of one of the 4 types of permits can apply for the automatic issuance of another kind of papers. There is no need to go through a long process again.

How to Obtain a Casino Licence in Malta: Step-by-Step Guide

The permit process takes up to 30 weeks. Much depends on the submitted documents and the availability of a financial guarantee from an entrepreneur.

Sending an Initial Application

An operator prepares a package of papers (charter, constituent documents, an extract from the tax service, and information about employees).

Particular attention is paid to workers in key positions — the executive director, team leader, and chief accountant. These should be people with higher education and sufficient work experience, without a criminal record.

Before obtaining a casino licence in Malta, an operator has to:

• register a legal entity within the country;
• open a bank account;
• request an individual fiscal number from the tax office.

An MGA employee conducts an initial check of documents and, if everything is in order, directs an entrepreneur for a personal interview.

Business Plan Analysis

The Government of Malta has developed the Test of Suitability and Proper Compliance. It helps to assess whether operators can manage the gambling business and if they have strategies.

An MGA employee examines the entrepreneur's business plan. The document should contain:

• expected indicators of profitability and lucrativeness;
• development plan for the next 2–3 years;
• funding sources and other information about the work of an iGaming project.

An important point is the specification of all equipment and software that the entrepreneur is going to use. MGA requires servers to be hosted in Malta.

Checking Financial Guarantees

To open licensed online casinos in Malta, a businessman has to confirm the availability of an authorised capital of €100,000. The maximum sum of the operator's reserves should not exceed €240,000.

For B2C licences, the following minimum values of the authorised capital are provided:

• for bookmakers — €100,000;
• for poker rooms and sites with bingo draws — €40,000;
• for betting on fantasy sports — €40,000.

System Audit

An entrepreneur should pass the gambling system check and compliance audit in the technical environment. For this, 90 calendar days are given, from the date of approval of the business plan and the provision of information on financial guarantees.

The verification criteria for an online casino licensed in Malta are determined by the MGA and local laws. The results of a comprehensive audit are sent to the gambling regulator. If everything is in order, it will issue a document for 10 years.

How Much Does a Casino Licence Cost in Malta?

The jurisdiction is considered one of the most expensive. The price is influenced by many people who want to obtain permission, prestige and international recognition, the opportunity to receive several types of papers at once, etc.

The Cost of Preparing B2C Documents

An entrepreneur should make a one-time deposit of the following amounts:

• the payment for applying for a new permit — €5,000;
• licence transfer fee within one business group — €1,500;
• the price for issuing a Material supply Certificate — €1,000;
• the cost of a Key Function (personal digital code) — €50.

After a casino licence in Malta is approved, an operator has to transfer the annual payment:

• €25,000 for permits of the first, second, and third types;
• €10,000 for certificates of the fourth type.

Legalised entrepreneurs pay a Compliance Contribution. Its size depends on 2 factors:

• B2C licence type;
• gross gaming revenue for the calendar year.

The more profit the operator receives, the smaller the coefficient used to calculate the Compliance Contribution.

For example, owners of a turnkey casino with Maltese licences should pay a €120,000 fee with an annual income of €3,000,000. In this case, the profit is multiplied by 4%. If an operator earns €10,000,000 per year, a reduction coefficient of 0.6% will be applied.

The Expenses for B2B Permit Holders

To find out how much a casino licence in Malta costs for B2B providers, you should know the specifics of their work:

• the producers of material elements pay from €25,000 to €35,000 depending on the annual income (the higher the profit, the larger the deductions);
• offline and online software providers transfer between €3,000 and €5,000;
• the suppliers transferring B2B licences to subsidiaries pay an additional €10,000 fee.

The Benefits of Obtaining a Gambling Permit

The main reasons to buy a casino certificate in Malta are as follows:

1. Trust from players and B2B partners. Malta is one of the most popular countries for launching an iGaming start-up. The jurisdiction is highly appreciated due to strict requirements for licensees, end-to-end control by the state, and an active gambling community. Thematic exhibitions and summits are held in the country. In total, 5% of the able-bodied population of the island works in the industry.
2. Long validity term. An operator receives a licence for 10 years, regardless of the type of document. After the expiration of the period, the permit can be extended through a simplified procedure.
3. Progressive scale of deductions. The licensing process is expensive. However, the government offers discounts for the most enterprising operators. The higher the GGR of the company, the less it will pay to the local treasury at the end of the accounting year.
4. The lack of taxes. High licence fees are completely offset by the absence of taxes on profits, dividends, capital withdrawals, and real estate ownership. In this regard, Malta is one of the most profitable European countries for doing business.
5. Developed economy. The jurisdiction is part of the EU. It has a stable political and economic environment. Malta is an international hub for many IT companies. It is also a well-known tourist centre. It attracts people with its warm sea, ancient architecture, and a well-developed network of casino complexes.

The Main Things about Obtaining a Maltese Permit

You can order a gambling licence of any type at the CASEXE studio.

We will organise the preparation and submission of documents, orient you in fees, help you pass a system audit, and consult on all issues related to the launch and scaling of an iGaming project.

• The advantages of obtaining a licence include a long validity period of the document (10 years), the lack of taxes, a progressive scale of deductions and fees, a developed economy and a gaming community, as well as unlimited trust from gamblers and business partners.
• The MGA government offers 2 types of certificates: Gaming Service License and Critical Gaming Supply. The documents can be obtained by online casino operators, bookmakers, owners of lottery sites and poker rooms, as well as providers of fantasy sports projects.
• The cost of a permit depends on its type. An entrepreneur pays start-up fees (for consideration of an application, passing a comprehensive audit, obtaining a Key Function), an annual deduction and a Compliance Contribution.

CASEXE offers you to order profitable gambling projects:

• turnkey online casinos;
• White Label software;
• Bitcoin portals;
• VR platforms, etc.