Maltese licence is regarded as one of the most prestigious licences in the gambling industry due to its level of legitimacy. Getting the Malta Gaming License is no simple matter given the strict regulatory framework. Thus, any holder of this license is perceived as a trustworthy operator. 

It is not necessary to have resident directors or resident shareholders in your company's structure. Therefore Maltese gaming company can be owned and managed by non-residents. 

The Authority requires a company applying for a licence to have the following minimum issued paid up share capital when registering the company with the competent authority:

Gaming Service Licence

• Type 1 – Minimum €100,000
• Type 2 – Minimum €100,000
• Type 3 – Minimum €40,000
• Type 4 – Minimum €40,000

Critical Gaming Supply Licence

• Minimum €40,000

Companies with multiple type approvals are required to meet the above share capital requirements cumulatively up to a maximum capping of €240,000.

5% Gaming Tax is applied on gaming revenue generated from Malta based players. 

In addition, Compliance Contribution calculated on the basis of varying percentages of the Gaming Revenue generated, becomes payable to the Authority on a monthly basis. This tax rate depends on the type of license an operator has obtained. 

Finally, a fixed annual license fee shall be paid to the Authority. Annual fee also depends on the type of the license obtained. 

N.B. non-resident shareholders are eligible to obtain and avail themselves of the refundable tax refund upon receipt of a dividend from the company. 

The licensing process usually takes around 6 months if all the documents are in order. Application timeframe will depend on the complexity of ownership structure, commercial proposition, and cooperation of the related parties since the application process runs in close collaboration with an applicant.

The Malta Gaming Authority conducts a fit and proper exercise on the applicant by assessing all information related to persons involved in financing and management and on the business viability of the operation. As part of this process, the MGA conducts probity investigations with other national and international regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies. 

The sub-section ‘Protection of Player Funds’ is clearly stated under the Gaming Player Protection Regulations.

Identifying the importance of player funds being kept segregated and remaining separately identifiable at all times whereby the Authority may, in its sole discretion, exercise viewing rights over the common account of player funds.