Malta: all our coverage

The regulator has reminded operators that they must screen customers against asset-freezing measures, block designated individuals from opening accounts or betting, freeze funds immediately and report to the Minister for the Economy. The case behind the warning brought a €20,000 fine, a suspended two-month operating ban, and personal penalties for two executives.

A joint statement from the country's bookmaking and gaming associations says the tax floated for the EU's 2028 to 2034 budget would push players to unlicensed sites and cut, not raise, state revenue, and asks instead for uniform EU rules against illegal operators. Malta and EGBA have already objected; the levy would need every member state's consent.

The MGA and the Malta Digital Innovation Authority launched a principles-based framework on Thursday for operators using AI in player protection, fraud detection and customer contact. It sits under the EU AI Act, binds nobody, and is a rare instance of a gambling regulator writing down what it expects of a licensee's models. Charles Mizzi: "Our role is not to stand in the way of innovation."

The state court that granted Spribe an injunction against NSX in April, then revoked it in July when a federal court suspended the developer's trademark, has now ruled on the merits: no trademark infringement, no copyright infringement, no unfair competition. It is the third Brazilian decision in a row to go against the Estonian studio, three days after a Brasília judge ordered it to police its own distribution.

The 2021 licences expire at the end of this month. Bet365, TOTO, Holland Casino, Kansino, FairPlay, Bingoal, GGPoker and Betcity have theirs to 2031. New in the renewal test: every violation definitively established in five years, what the operator did about it, and "additional points of attention" for some. The rest of the market has under two weeks.

An Instagram ad showed the Bayern Munich defender's father arrested over a vault of cash, cleared, and then urging viewers to play the same casino, with an AI Drake for good measure. The link went to a Comoros-licensed site two months after Alberta opened a regulated market that bans athletes from casino ads altogether.

The EU securities regulator's risk report finds the biggest platforms hold no EU authorisation, that binary-option rules bar retail sale where contracts are derivatives, and that platform surveillance arrives only after the profits are banked.

The First Hall of the Civil Court granted Spribe an ex parte provisional injunction on 1 September covering two EU trademarks. The evidence the court cited is the kind operators can check for themselves: the two games appearing side by side in a search on Betsson, and a listing that credited Spribe's game to the wrong studio.

Around 300 of the roles are in Stoke-on-Trent, where bet365 is the biggest private employer, and 40 across Gibraltar and Malta. Voluntary redundancies come first. Every one of the five largest British gambling firms has now cut staff since remote gaming duty rose 19 points.

The Belgrade-based group will cease operating under its Malta Gaming Authority licence, close the Mozzart.com brand and its affiliate programme, and put its money into markets where it holds a domestic licence. It is the second European operator in a month to decide that a Maltese licence no longer buys what it used to.

Estonia halved its online gambling tax to bring international operators to Tallinn. Nine months on, not one new online casino has arrived, receipts are down, and the prime minister has pulled the review forward by two years.

Record deposits, a wider margin, less debt, and a guidance cut of up to €18m. The market read the affiliate's Q2 as evidence that the World Cup did not convert, and it has €91.5m of bonds due in December.

UOKiK is examining seven bookmakers for interface design that manipulates behaviour, with a tool built specifically to spot it. Five of them face separate proceedings where the exposure is 10% of annual turnover.

Abu Dhabi, Bhutan and Malta's financial regulators are observing a post-quantum custody pilot using the NIST signature standard finalised two years ago. The reason to care is not the cryptography. It is which regulators turned up.

A record World Cup drove Kambi's second-quarter revenue up 13.5% and more than doubled its adjusted earnings, prompting the sportsbook supplier to lift its full-year profit guidance.

A Swedish court has torn up Spelinspektionen's SEK8 million fine against LeoVegas's Roar Vegas, ruling the regulator never proved a duty-of-care breach. Coming weeks after the Svenska Spel reversal, it signals that Sweden's responsible-gambling enforcement model may be unenforceable until the rules are rewritten.

Four years after 888 Holdings, now Evoke, agreed to pay £2.2 billion for William Hill's international assets, the company has agreed an all-share takeover by Bally's Intralot worth about £243.1 million (€281 million). A November 2025 Budget tax shock forced the board's hand.

Following the successful conclusion of the Casino Guru Awards 2026, winners, sponsors, and industry leaders have shared their reflections on an evening that celebrated excellence, responsibility, innovation, and positive change across the global iGaming industry.

Brussels has shared early estimates suggesting new EU-level taxes on online gambling, big tech and crypto could raise close to €11 billion a year for the 2028 to 2034 budget. A 3% levy on gambling net turnover could yield around €1.9 billion annually, though the figures are analytical options, not law, and any bloc-wide tax needs unanimous Member State approval.

Hosted by Denisa Vydumska, the gala honored operators, providers, and individuals who are actively shaping a more transparent, innovative, responsible, and player-focused future for iGaming. The event featured dazzling live performances, powerful speeches, world-class entertainment, and emotional winner announcements that highlighted the incredible progress being made across the industry.

Taking place on May 25 at Xara Lodge in Malta, ahead of the NEXT Valletta conference, the Awards have established themselves as one of the industry’s most respected recognitions for fairness, player protection, and ethical business practices.

Casino Guru has been named the runner-up in the 2026 SBC Awards Europe Casino Affiliate of the Year category at the official ceremony that took place on April 30 at Xara Lodge.

With just one month remaining, the highly anticipated Casino Guru Awards 2026 is entering its final phase, celebrating the brands, initiatives, and individuals driving transparency, fairness, and meaningful progress across the global iGaming industry. Organized by Casino Guru, the Awards have become a benchmark for trust and responsibility in online gambling. Unlike traditional industry accolades, Casino Guru Awards recognize those who go beyond marketing claims, rewarding contributors across the ecosystem who actively improve player protection, resolve issues, and help raise industry standards.

Casino Guru is proud to receive this nomination, as it once again serves as proof of the company’s sustained focus on improving the wider industry ecosystem, prioritizing player protection, and championing a fair and transparent online gambling industry.