The Malta Gaming Authority has softened its planned tightening of the regime that lets companies work from Malta under foreign licences, after industry pushback. The retreat touches a framework flagged in Malta’s own anti-money-laundering assessment, and firmer oversight may now depend on new legislation.
The Malta Gaming Authority has stepped back from a tougher regime for companies that work from Malta under licences issued abroad. The Recognition Notice framework lets them operate there without holding an MGA licence. After pushback from the industry, the regulator’s Feedback Statement of 26 October softens several proposals.
The standard template for legal opinions is gone. Instead, the MGA will set out which confirmations those opinions must contain. Holders will supply ultimate beneficial owner details rather than a full corporate structure chart. B2B suppliers are exempt from many of the new obligations.
Industry respondents objected that the proposals duplicated requirements already set by foreign regulators. They also resisted handing over commercially sensitive information.
A regime rated medium-high for money-laundering risk
The retreat sits awkwardly with Malta’s own risk assessment. The 2023 exercise was the first to rate the framework, as the 2018 assessment gave it no rating. In the same exercise, remote gaming’s residual risk fell from high to medium.
The assessment was published in January 2024. Subject persons were told they must reflect its identified risks in their own risk assessments.
The MGA launched its targeted consultation on 21 April 2026. The proposals were presented as aligned with that assessment and with the National AML/CFT Strategy 2024–2026. Their aim was to tighten checks at authorisation and add more structured ongoing monitoring.
The stakes are commercial as well as reputational. Malta is Europe’s main hub for B2C operators and B2B suppliers, and many work there through Recognition Notices. Many Malta-based gambling businesses operate under Romanian licences, for example. Some sources consider the regime a loophole, particularly for B2B companies, NEXT.io reported.
Under current rules, a certificate lasts one year and must go through annual maintenance. The application fee is €5,000, with another €5,000 due each year in advance. Applicants need a letter of good standing from their licensing authority and a certified legal opinion from a warranted professional. B2C applicants must also list the URLs they use to offer games.
Notice holders are not outside Malta’s tax net either. Under Legal Notice 84 of 2026, in force from 1 October 2026, they remain within the scope of the restructured gaming tax.
Firmer oversight may depend on new legislation
The MGA has accepted that some of the new requirements may need changes to the existing legal framework, according to NEXT.io. Gaming legislation introduced the week before may be connected, given the timing.
The regulator has been sparing with detail. Its short public notice on 28 October framed the changes as adjustments prompted by consultation responses. The stated goal was a set of rules that holders can work with in practice and that scales with risk. It did not publish the Feedback Statement and sent it only to notice holders and their representatives. Its contents emerged when NEXT.io obtained the document.
The MGA has promised more information later on how specific requirements will work in practice.
Source material
- MGA Concludes Consultation on Proposed Updates to Recognition Notice Framework (Malta Gaming Authority)
- Exclusive: Malta scales back foreign licence reforms after industry pushback (NEXT.io)
- Malta’s 2023 National Risk Assessment (National Coordinating Committee on Combating Money Laundering and Funding of Terrorism)
- Malta’s 2023 National Risk Assessment Released (Malta Financial Services Authority)
The post Malta waters down Recognition Notice reforms despite medium-high money-laundering risk rating appeared first on CasinoBeats.
The Malta Gaming Authority has softened its planned tightening of the regime that lets companies work from Malta under foreign licences, after industry pushback. The retreat touches a framework flagged in Malta’s own anti-money-laundering assessment, and firmer oversight may now depend on new legislation.
The post Malta waters down Recognition Notice reforms despite medium-high money-laundering risk rating appeared first on CasinoBeats.