Malta gaming licence: B2C fees and application requirements

Can a Cyprus company apply?

The MGA states that EU/EEA entities are eligible to apply, subject to its requirements. A separate Maltese company is therefore not an automatic prerequisite in every structure. Eligibility is only the starting point: the proposed operational arrangements still need assessment.

For a Cyprus group, draw the contractual chain before choosing the applicant. Identify which entity accepts players, which owns the software, which employs staff and which receives payment settlements. A Cyprus holding company should not appear as the operator in one document and only as an IP owner in another. Resolve those inconsistencies before submitting the application.

Which gaming activities belong in the application?

MGA gaming types distinguish casino-style games, fixed-odds betting, peer-to-peer activities and controlled skill games. Product approval, capital and compliance-contribution questions depend on the actual offering.

Create a product inventory with the game supplier, game mechanics, player relationship and intended countries. Describe a live-dealer game and a peer-to-peer poker network separately. A broad phrase such as “casino platform” does not tell a reviewer which regulated activities are actually taking place.

What should the application workstreams contain?

Use the current MGA System Documentation Checklist and enclosure lists as the controlling document index. The following is a suggested project structure, not a substitute for those official lists.

• Corporate workstream: ownership diagram, constitutional documents, controllers and the funding trail.
• Operational workstream: customer journey, staff responsibilities, complaints, safer gambling and AML procedures.
• Technical workstream: architecture, suppliers, access controls, regulatory records and testing dependencies.
• Financial workstream: assumptions, working capital, player liabilities and a funded compliance budget.
• Market workstream: permission assessment for each intended destination and the controls implementing exclusions.

How should fees and launch dates be budgeted?

The official B2C page lists a €5,000 application fee and a €25,000 fixed annual licence fee, with a different annual amount for a Type 4-only operation. Compliance contributions and other obligations need separate treatment. These figures do not represent a turnkey launch price.

Build a dependency-based schedule: incomplete controller documents can hold up the regulatory assessment; supplier changes can invalidate technical documentation; payment onboarding can remain unfinished after licensing work advances. Ask each workstream owner for evidence of readiness instead of promising a launch date based only on application submission.

A practical decision before spending on the application

Suppose a Cyprus group develops software but a separate subsidiary contracts with players. Compare applying through the proposed operating entity with changing that entity first. Record the effects on player terms, supplier agreements, banking and tax analysis. Changing the applicant halfway through preparation creates avoidable rework.

Finally, assess each target country independently. A Maltese licence does not establish an automatic right to offer gambling throughout the EU. Keep that market-access decision separate from the question of whether the company qualifies to apply to the MGA.