An MGA licence is a gambling authorisation from the Malta Gaming Authority, the regulator of the EU and EEA member state Malta, and one of the more respected licences in online gambling.
Compared with lighter offshore permits, an MGA licence generally carries stronger obligations: segregation of player funds, defined responsible-gambling tools, anti-money-laundering procedures, and access to a formal complaints and dispute process. For players, that translates into more recourse if something goes wrong, which is why we treat it as a stronger safety signal than a Curaçao licence on its own.
An MGA licence does not automatically make an operator legal everywhere in Europe, because several countries, including Germany, run their own national licensing regimes. But an operator holding a genuine, verifiable EU or EEA licence such as the MGA is meaningfully different from one relying solely on an offshore permit, and it carries more weight in the Licensing and Safety part of our Jackpot Score.
For example, if a dispute with an MGA-licensed casino cannot be resolved directly, players can escalate through the regulator’s official channels, an option lighter jurisdictions may not offer in the same way.
Related terms
- Curaçao licence
- KYC
- How we check: licensing verification policy
Put it into practice: try our free tools · read the guides · see top casinos.