Licensing of Remote Gaming Operations

All operators of remote gaming in or from Malta must possess a valid license of the relevant class. Applicants must satisfy relevant criteria amongst other things they must: satisfy the fit and proper persons test, demonstrate business and technical ability to carry out the operation and demonstrate that the operation is covered by sufficient reserves or securities and is solvent to ensure player winnings and deposit returns.

There are four classes of gaming license, issued for a period of 5 years and renewable thereafter:

Class 1: For operators managing their own risk on repetitive games. This class includes casino type games, slots, and online lotteries;

Class 2: For operators managing their own risk on events based on a matchbook. This class includes fixed odds betting;

Class 3: For operators taking a commission from promoting and /or abet games. This class includes Poker networks, P2P, betting exchange, pool betting and game portals;

Class 4: To host and manage remote gaming operators, excluding the licensee himself. This class includes software vendors that want to provide management and hosting facilities on their platform. Licensing Fees include a one-time non-refundable application fee of €2,330 and an annual fee of €7,000 per license.


Main conditions for the granting of a License include the following:

• Licensee must be actively operational
• Adherence to the provisions for the protection of players
• Conformity to anti-money laundering practices
• Appointment of a key official to supervise all the operations and ensure that the licensee complies with all applicable laws and conditions of the license. The key official must be a director of the company and resident in Malta.