Malta Gaming Authority Unveils 2025 Supervisory Strategy

Strengthening Regulatory Oversight

The MGA’s 2025 approach places a strong emphasis on external compliance audits, thematic reviews, and supervisory engagements. These measures are designed to address key risks identified through previous regulatory assessments. The authority aims to enhance the resilience of the online gaming sector while safeguarding player interests and increasing stakeholder confidence.

“This approach aligns with the MGA’s broader strategy to bolster the resilience of the online gaming sector, safeguard player interests, and foster greater stakeholder confidence in a sustainable and well-regulated industry”, according to the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

Key Focus Areas for 2025

The regulator’s supervisory strategy targets several critical areas:

• Operational Resilience in IT – Ensuring licensees have robust security measures and incident response capabilities to protect player data.
• Governance Assurance – Evaluating the effectiveness of key personnel responsible for compliance, internal audits, and anti-money laundering (AML) procedures.
• Self-Exclusion and Player Protection – Examining the effectiveness of self-exclusion mechanisms across gaming platforms to prevent problem gambling.
• Sports Betting Integrity – Addressing risks in the local football betting market and improving the reporting of suspicious betting activities by licensees.

Thematic Reviews to Drive Compliance

A significant part of the MGA’s 2025 regulatory framework is the introduction of targeted thematic reviews to assess specific areas of licensee operations. These reviews will provide deeper insights into industry practices and help strengthen compliance measures.

• Operational Resilience Review – Focuses on IT security, ensuring gaming operators can effectively respond to security threats and system disruptions.
• Governance Assurance Review – Examines compliance structures within licensees, ensuring key personnel uphold high regulatory standards.
• Self-Exclusion Review – Analyzes the efficiency of self-exclusion tools used by gaming operators to mitigate problem gambling.

To reinforce its regulatory oversight, the MGA will continue conducting full-scope compliance audits through approved audit service providers. These audits will ensure that licensees uphold operational and financial integrity while adhering to AML regulations and player protection measures.