Browse the entire Casino Guru casino database and see all casinos you can choose from. If you want to leave your options open, this is the right list of casinos for you. It might take you longer to find the best option though.
Browse the entire Casino Guru casino database and see all casinos you can choose from. If you want to leave your options open, this is the right list of casinos for you. It might take you longer to find the best option though.
Online casino players should always look out for safe and reliable sites to play on; ones they can trust to give quality customer support and pay out winnings as quickly and reliably as possible.
To ensure that online casinos do this, there are a number of internationally recognized authorities who hand out certificates confirming a casino's commitment to high standards. The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is one of the most prominent bodies that do this, and many online casinos strive to obtain a Malta license to show that they are transparent and incorrupt, as well as to be able to operate in countries that require it.
This page will show you how to find the best Malta-licensed casinos out there by using Casino Guru's rating and review system. You will also find out what the MGA does and what its license entails.
The Malta Gaming Authority is Malta's gaming control board and was created in 2001 to cater to the growing online casino industry. With many countries failing to regulate, or even recognize, gambling sites, it was one of the first authorities to offer legislation to offshore casinos, providing official regulations and the guarantee of a safe environment for players.
Many companies have applied for the license, seeing it as a way of validating their activity and attracting new players as a result. By 2017, the online gambling sector generated over 12% of Malta's GDP, according to a KPMG report, with 270 gaming operators under its jurisdiction.
As well as online casinos, the MGA regulates land-based gambling on the island, so local casinos, slot machines, betting offices and lotteries also fall under its control. The authority keeps a comprehensive register of all licensees on its website, which it updates whenever there is a change.
To deal with such a wide network of legislation, the authority is divided into different entities:
The Authority is known for its strictness, which is why the license is so coveted in the gaming industry. Any business applying for it need to adhere to a series of specific regulations, which we summarize in the next section.
The MGA license is based on its holders following the regulatory framework in line with the Malta Gaming Act of 2018 (Chapter 583), and is generally the same for both land-based and online applicants, with some exceptions.
The parent tier is the Act itself, which recognizes gaming as an activity and the MGA as the regulatory authority. The license is granted via a Maltese government concession upon the company meeting the criteria below:
Once the license is obtained, then there are operational requirements they must meet, such as having each game approved by the MGA and strictly forbidding underage gambling.
While the above-mentioned is valid for all MGA casinos, one thing that differs based on the nature of the entity are the restrictions established by the license.
For example, brick-and-mortar casinos are subject to specific distance restrictions. A land-based venue must be located at least 75 meters away from schools and places of worship such as churches, and 50 meters from other gambling venues.
Inside, MGA casinos are allowed to keep a maximum of one gaming device per two square meters and cannot operate more than ten devices in total.
However, online operators are obliged to make sure they pay out winnings promptly to the users. On top of that, they must protect their players and promote their products in complete adherence to MGA guidelines.
It's important to note that the license may also be subject to directives during the license term. In cases of important legislative changes, license holders are expected to update any relevant aspect of their business to keep in line with Maltese regulation.
The MGA classifies the games it covers into four categories—although some games may contain elements of more than one—and govern them accordingly.
If you feel badly treated by an MGA gaming authority casino then you shouldn't suffer in silence. To start with, contact the casino directly to file a complaint. If that doesn't work, it's best to submit a complaint via an ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) service or via our complaint resolution center. In cases where neither of these actions are successful and you still want to pursue action, you can submit a complaint to the Authority directly and they will decide whether to take action on your behalf.
To do this, you simply go directly to the MGA website and fill out a form specifying your complaint. The form comes with a privacy policy explaining your rights and how they are protected under MGA rules.
Apart from the non-refundable application fee that costs €5,000, the MGA license holders are required to pay registration, taxes, and annual fees to keep it.
The Malta Gaming Authority license is issued for five years. The annual fees are €25,000, and taxes are held at the rate of 5% of the revenue. Additionally, operators need to pay for other services as well. These will cost them around €12,000 on average.
Our team of experts reviews all online casinos, including MGA casinos, and gives them a rating out of ten called the Safety Index based on various criteria. The most important ones include:
Now that you know which factors we consider when reviewing Malta Gaming Authority casinos, you know what to look at when choosing one to play at. Luckily, you don't have to scroll endlessly to find the top MGA casino that has a high Safety Index and meets all your preferences. This is where Casino Guru can help you.
To find the best MGA online casino for you, you can use our sorting and filtering system. Above the MGA casino list, you will find tabs. Select the 'Recommended' tab if you want to see the licensed sites that our team considers to be the most impressive.
The 'Newly opened' tab will display the most recently added Malta licensed casinos. If you want to see all MGA casinos, select the 'All' option. Finally, the 'Big brands' will show you the list of the biggest ones on the market.
Additionally, you can fine-tune your search by using our filters. In the 'Popular Filters' section, you'll find options such as 'Mobile-friendly casinos', that will show you the MGA casinos that contain games available for mobile play. You can also filter MGA casinos by the games they offer, game providers, or payment methods like PayPal, Paysafe, VISA, or even crypto casinos. Finally, you can choose the way in which the MGA licensed casinos are ordered. To do that, explore the drop-down menu that includes options such as 'Recommended', 'Highest Safety Index', and more.