MGA (Malta Gaming Authority)

Malta has been the dominant secondary licensing jurisdiction for European online gambling for more than a decade. The MGA license is held by hundreds of operators and B2B suppliers, with the jurisdiction's combination of EU membership, gambling-experienced regulatory infrastructure, and competitive tax structure supporting a large operator and supplier population. Malta's role expanded substantially as the UK's point-of-consumption licensing in 2014 reshaped European gambling regulation. The MGA's regulatory posture has shifted over the past several years. The financial action task force (FATF) review of Malta in 2021-2022 triggered increased AML scrutiny across the licensee base. UK Gambling Commission and other regulator coordination has tightened around operators using Malta licenses to serve regulated markets. The number of high-profile MGA license suspensions and revocations has increased. The MGA remains the major European secondary license but the regulator's enforcement posture is markedly more active than in earlier periods.