The MGA B2C Gaming Service Licence: Game Types, Fees and How to Apply

Be clear about the game types in your application

Malta grants one gaming service licence for business-to-consumer operations, and inside it the regulator recognises four game types. Type 1 is games of chance where the player plays against the house, such as slots and table games with random results. Type 2 is fixed-odds betting. Type 3 is games where the operator earns a commission instead of carrying the risk, such as poker rake and betting exchanges. Type 4 is controlled skill games. Which types you request shapes your obligations and, to a large extent, what you pay.

Pick the mix on purpose. Asking for every type just to be safe lengthens the review, widens the system audit and adds contribution floors you owe whether or not that vertical ever goes live. Asking for too little means applying for a variation later. Sketch the product plan for the first two years and license what it needs, not every product you might one day offer.

• Type 1 — games of chance against the house
• Type 2 — betting at fixed odds
• Type 3 — games paid through commission
• Type 4 — controlled games of skill

How the fees are set out in the regulations

Under the Gaming Licence Fees Regulations, the application fee is a one-off, non-refundable €5,000, and another €5,000 is due on renewal. After that, a licensee pays two distinct amounts: a non-refundable fixed yearly licence fee of €25,000 (cut to €10,000 for operators offering only Type 4 services), paid in advance for the first twelve months after issue and again on every anniversary, and a compliance contribution worked out on gaming revenue for each licence period.

The compliance contribution is tiered, and the tiers vary a lot by game type. For Type 1 it starts at 1.25% on the first €3,000,000 of gaming revenue, then steps down through 1.00%, 0.85%, 0.70% and 0.55% to 0.40% on everything above. Type 2 opens at 4.00% on the first €3,000,000 and then tapers, while Type 3 opens at 4.00% on the first €2,000,000. Type 4 runs the other way, from 0.50% up to 2.00% on the remainder. So the rate you really pay depends far more on your product mix than on revenue alone.

• €5,000 to apply, €5,000 to renew
• €25,000 fixed yearly fee (€10,000 if Type 4 only)
• Contribution tiers that differ by game type
• Real rate shaped by the product mix

Watch the minimums and the caps

The compliance contribution has both a lower and an upper limit, and it is the lower one that catches new operators out. For a Type 1 service the contribution can be no less than €15,000 and no more than €375,000 per licence period. For Type 2 the minimum is €25,000 and the cap €600,000. For Type 3 the minimum is €5,000 and the cap €500,000. A licensee with several types pays the minimum for each one, even if that vertical brought in very little revenue.

That is why choosing the types is a business decision, not a box-ticking step. A brand licensed for Types 1, 2 and 3 that only ever launches slots still pays the Type 2 and Type 3 minimums on top of the €25,000 fixed yearly fee. Model the first two years with low revenue and the minimums included, and add the system audit, a separate fee paid to the auditor that rises with every extra vertical covered.

• Type 1: minimum €15,000, cap €375,000
• Type 2: minimum €25,000, cap €600,000
• Type 3: minimum €5,000, cap €500,000
• Minimums are owed per type, with or without revenue

Applying is mostly a documentation exercise

The regulator reviews the applicant on fitness and propriety, business viability, operational and statutory requirements, and technical systems. In practice that means proof of the corporate structure and beneficial owners, due diligence on every qualifying shareholder and key official, a three-year business plan with financial projections, and written policies on AML and terrorist financing, responsible gaming, protection of player funds, complaints, data protection and information security.

Once approved, the business must pass a system audit within a set period of going live, carried out by an approved auditor who checks the setup against what the application declared. Configure the platform to match the documents, rather than drafting documents around a platform that is not yet built. If a partner supplies the technology, that partner has to be able to provide the evidence the audit asks for: certification, RNG and game testing, logs and reports.

• Due diligence on beneficial owners and key officials
• A three-year plan with financial projections
• Policies on AML, responsible gaming and security
• System audit once the site is live

What being a licensee involves afterwards

An MGA licence runs for several years but is supervised the whole time. Expect regular reporting, notice of any material change to ownership, systems or key staff, segregation of and reporting on player funds, compliance with responsible-gaming rules including self-exclusion, and rights of audit and inspection. Gaming tax is charged on revenue from players located in Malta, on top of the fees covered above.

Malta’s commercial appeal comes precisely from that oversight: banks, payment providers and leading game studios see an MGA licence as a strong signal, and that is often the real reason operators pick it over cheaper options. Set the full yearly cost, meaning fixed fee, contribution minimums, audit, legal work and compliance staff, against the payment and content access it opens in your target markets. This is general B2B information, not legal advice; check the current position with the regulator and qualified Maltese advisers before you apply.

• Ongoing reporting and change notifications
• Keeping player funds separate
• Gaming tax on players located in Malta
• Full yearly cost compared with market access

A practical 90-day plan

Spend days 1–30 confirming the market, reviewing the legal position, fixing scope, building the financial model and shortlisting suppliers. Days 31–60 go to integrations, design, payments and setting up compliance operations. Keep days 61–90 for end-to-end acceptance testing, training and a controlled soft launch, with licensing and payment dependencies treated as explicit go/no-go checkpoints.

Once live, check technical errors, deposit approval, withdrawal times, KYC completion, support volume, bonus spend and net revenue daily. Push for growth only when the team can explain those figures with confidence.