The MGA’s positive equity mandate means all operators and suppliers will need to show a positive balance sheet. Excellent news for players!
A new rule from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) now requires all licensed casino operators and game suppliers to maintain a positive equity position. The rules also complement the MGA’s ‘Minimum Share Capital Requirements’, and effectively enhance the reputation of the licensing authority, which I will explain in this news report.
Rather than banning all debt altogether, the rule ensures no entity can slip into negative equity. Therefore, yearly balance sheets must show that the company is not financially underwater.
How many companies this affects remains unclear. The MGA hasn’t published figures, and we likely won’t know unless we dig through financial filings available (for a fee) via the Malta Business Registry.
Why is this good news for players?
You may be playing at an online casino that is in debt and also operating with negative equity. Under the present MGA rules, the only surefire way for you to know this is by requesting the operator’s financial filings from the Malta Business Registry.
Let’s be honest, how many of us who are online casino or sports betting enthuasts would actually go to those lengths? Admittedly, I’m no high roller, just a casual casino player and sports bettor. Still, if I were a high roller stacking up thousands, I’d likely look into my online gambling platform’s financial well-being.
However, by 30 June 2026, you will no longer need to check.
Since the gambling news report ‘MGA publishes its Capital Requirements Policy‘on 2 July 2025, the new rule came into place. Any new applicants applying for an MGA licensing certificate will need to show positive equity convincingly.
As for online gambling entities currently operating under an MGA licensing certificate, the MGA has given operators and suppliers presently operating in negative equity time to resolve the situation, which is the aforementioned end of June 2026 deadline. However, there are some exceptions, which I have listed in the table below.
Reducing the risk of bankruptcy: It is an interesting move by the MGA. Here at Casinoplusbonus, we have always tried to make our members aware of the risk of an online casino going into administration via our online casino bankruptcy guide. Now, the MGA has taken a positive step to reduce the risk.
Why This Matters for High-Rollers and Affiliates
High-rollers, affiliate site owners, and business partners connected to a B2C operator or B2B supplier require assurances that the companies they deal with are financially stable. The new rules will mean anyone connected to or doing business with a company operating under the MGA licensing will now have firm reassurances that there is a low risk of bankruptcy.
As a result of these rules, it is fair to say that the MGA has focused on making sure that it prevents sudden site closures, withdrawal delays or license suspensions due to insolvency.
MGA Capital Requirements Enforcement Timeline
| Licensee Type | Condition | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| New Licensees (2025 onwards) | Restore positive equity | By 30 June of the year after licence granted |
| Existing Licensees (as of 31 Dec 2024) | Restore positive equity | Up to 5 years depending on case |
| B2C: Negative equity over €1 million | Submit recapitalisation plan | By 30 November 2025 |
| B2B: Negative equity over €3 million | Submit recapitalisation plan | By 30 November 2025 |
Minimum Share Capital Requirements
The new positive equity rule also complements existing minimum share capital rules. One of the points mentioned in the full report issued by the MGA’s Capital Requirements Policy PDF. The minimum capital is basically the financial startup requirement for an operator or supplier that wants its service to highlight that it operates under the stringent rules of the Malta Gaming Authority. On the other hand, the positive equity is about the ongoing financial health of these businesses.
The thresholds for share capital requirements are as follows:
-
B2C operators: €100,000–€240,000 depending on risk classification (Almost all online casino operators)
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B2B critical suppliers: €40,000 (Mostly software providers)
Although the ‘Minimum Share Capital Requirements’ isn’t a new rule, it is affected by the ‘Positive Equity Mandate’. Now the equity position must remain positive, and not just meet the initial capital test. In contrast, in the past, it could be positive when applying for licensing, and then reduced to a negative equity position. As a result, it’s great news to the that MGA has rectified this issue.
Failure to Comply
I think we all know the answer to this. If a company fails to comply with the rules, then its licensing certificate will be suspended. Furthermore, if the company cannot demonstrate its ability to rectify the issue, the licensing certificate will be revoked in its entirety.
A Step Toward Industry Maturity
It’s a bold step and one that makes writing casino reviews easier for me. I don’t only speak for myself, I speak for the entire team here at Casinoplusbonus. We want to find online casinos and sports betting entertainment platforms you can trust. The idea, as we have said on our homepage, is online gambling entertainment. All we want to do is have fun without all the noise. Well, thanks to the MGA’s new mandates for Positive Equity, as players, we are less at risk.
While this won’t completely stop all financial risks, it raises the bar for accountability and will undoubtedly reduce the risk of the sites we play at going into bankruptcy. Overall, it’s a win for players, affiliates, and the industry, bringing more transparency to a sometimes opaque sector.
Can I Rely on MGA Casino Rules in My Country?
Here on Casinoplusbonus, we cover six countries. Of course, with our site being in English, we focus on English-speaking countries and those like South Africa and India, which both have large English-speaking populations. As we cannot list every country that relies on the MGA rules to protect online gambling activities, we have listed the main countries we cover.
Although the MGA protects players in these countries, the general rule of thumb is that the MGA does not accept players from countries where its online gambling cannot be protected. Therefore, if an online casino is operating under the MGA framework, then you should be protected by its rules.
Countries that are 100% not protected by the MGA, and online casinos operating under the Malta gambling watchdog’s licensing system cannot accept, include the USA, the UK and Australia.
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