The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) November 2023 News Summary

Bitesize summaries Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) news from the past 30 days including cancelled licensing and fake licensing exposed. (Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash)

Welcome to the Casinoplusbonus ‘Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) November 2023 News Summary’. In this report, we delve into all the latest news reports coming out of the MGA licensing authority’s news columns.

It is a bitesize update giving you insights into what is happening and how it may affect the online casino or sports book you play at. That is if you play on a platform operating under the MGA’s licensing framework.

There’s plenty that has happened throughout November. The MGA produced a list of 12 online gambling platforms faking the MGA logo on their website. Over the month, the gambling authority in Malta exposed these websites, and just for good measure, we are reiterating those sites here in this news piece so you don’t get caught out. Always remember – check a casino’s licensing claim thoroughly before signing up. There were also 3 MGA licensing cancellations annouced over the past 30 days.

On top of this, I briefly cover reports from the past 30 days coming from the MGA news columns. This includes its SIGMA Europe 2023 speeches, the publication of the voluntary ESG Code of Good Practice, and new guidelines for license surrenders.

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is one of the most respected licensing authorities globally. In 2025 we introduced a brand new guide to MGA casinos here on Casinoplusbonus.

MGA Main Headlines in November 2023

• SIGMA Europe 2023: The MGA attended the latest SIGMA Europe 2023 event. MGA CEO Carl Brincat, and MGA representatives Odhran Griffin and Brandon Debattista spoke at the event. The focus was on the MGA’s commitment to sustainable gaming making reference to the authroity’s recent ESG Code of Good Practice. The MGA reps also spoke covering topics such as the Maltese gambling climate and EU gaming regulations. In addition to this, the topic of using a data-driven approach to balancing innovation such as crypto and other innovative technologies are key to maintaining the MGA’s reputation as a world-renowned online gambling entertainment licensing authority.
• MGA Voluntary ESG Code of Good Practice Publication: The MGA has a new publication for voluntary Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Code of Good Practice for remote gaming. The ESG Code emphasises sustainability, meeting stakeholder expectations, and the MGA’s role in regulatory innovation and responsible gaming. Economy Minister Silvio Schembri stressed the importance of ESG metrics in business transformation. The Code, developed through extensive research and stakeholder engagement, focuses on three ESG categories and offers two reporting tiers, with an MGA ESG Code Approval Seal for compliant companies.
• Licence Surrenders  Notifications: Fresh guidance note on ‘Licence Surrenders’ specifies that operators must present a detailed plan for settling player balances and the reasons behind the decision to surrender the MGA licensing certification. In the document, it mentions all fees should be settled, and the surrender application must be submitted via the LRMS with a minimum 20-day notice.

Catch up with the full news stories: For an in-depth explanation of each of these news stories, head over to the MGA gambling and licensing news columns here.

MGA Licensing Cancellations

During the past 30 days, the MGA announced 2 operators who have had their licensing cancelled.

• AMGO iGaming Malta Limited – licence number MGA/B2C/163/2008 (Malta Company Registration C 92352) failed to pay the ‘Gaming Licence Fees’ of € 13,915.12 and ‘Contribution Fees’. The operator is also said to have not met the ‘Player Protection Directive.’ The company’s Dragonaraonline.com, Pwr.bet, Jetbull.com, and Fantasino.com no longer operate under the MGA licensing framework.
• SFJL Holding Limited – licence number MGA/B2C/163/2008 (Malta Company Registration C 80251) has had its licensing cancelled due to not having not paid ‘Compliance Contribution fees’. The company was involved in the sports betting market via a ‘Type 2’ certificate offering Fixed Odd Betting, including Live Betting, which is still active. However, its B2C – Gaming Service Licence licensing status shows as cancelled. I cannot find specific websites, but I assume they provide services to other operators.
• Arabmillionaire Limited – licence number MGA/ B2C/425/2017 (Malta Company Registration C 81104) is now cancelled. According to the MGA, the company owes € 50,000 in fees. The MGA also stated that there were several other infractions that warranted the authority’s decision to cancel Arabmillionaire Limited’s licensing. The Play Fooz website appears to be down and is now redirecting to the app.arabmillionaire.com website, which currently has no webpage.

Conditions of Cancellation – Removal of MGA logo

One of the conditions of cancellation means that these operators must remove all referencing to the MGA, including the MGA logo, from their websites. Players who are members of these sites have the option to withdraw. As per MGA gambling business laws, player balances are in separate bank accounts to the casino’s balance sheet, and as such are accessible for withdrawal.

For more information about accessing your funds after a casino loses its licensing or files for insolvency, see our Online Casino Bankruptcy guide.

Unauthorised URLs

Some companies try to cheat the system using the MGA logo on their website to make their platform look more legitimate. Jack Bannon covered this topic in detail in the Casinoplusbonus guide covering how to check casino licensing is real. In that guide, he uses a news report by the MGA for one of the casinos in the accompanying table, claiming to have MGA licensing when it does not.

Some of highlights of the guide include:

1. Always check too see if an online casino licensing logo.
2. Don’t just stop at checking the logo. Check for the licensing number and operator name.
3. You can use the MGA website registry and search for the URL or operator name in the drop down boxes.
4. If the operator or URL does not exist, then the company is likely faking its claim that it holds an MGA licensing cert.
5. If you do find the URL or operator, check to the ‘Status’ of the licensing – is it Active, Cancelled, or Suspended?

Example of the MGA licensing registration confirmation page (open to all players online):

Source: MGA Licensee Register Page

Find casinos with legitimate casino licensing: There is a step-by-step guide helping players find the best real-money casinos here on Casinoplusbonus. You will also find 2 lists: (a) 50 Best Online Casinos and (b) Casinoplusbonus Top 10 Online Casino Brands.