The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has released the findings of a comprehensive thematic review examining how licensed online gaming operators implement self-exclusion and related responsible gambling safeguards. This initiative highlights the Authority’s continued commitment to player protection and high standards of regulatory compliance in Malta’s thriving gaming ecosystem.
Conducted in 2025, the review evaluated real-world performance of self-exclusion mechanisms across 20 licensees and 58 active online platforms. It was initiated following industry reports suggesting that some players who had self-excluded due to concerns about problem gambling were still able to access services across multiple brands owned by the same licence holder. The exercise included mystery shopping assessments to observe how tools such as cross-brand controls, exclusion activation, and responsible gaming messaging functioned in practice.
Key Findings
Overall, the review found a positive level of compliance with regulatory expectations, with most operators demonstrating fundamentally sound frameworks for responsible play. However, it also identified specific areas where safeguards could be improved to strengthen consumer protection:
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Activation Delays – Some operators took longer than expected to activate self-exclusion requests, potentially exposing vulnerable players to harm.
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Cooling-Off Period Issues – In select cases, exclusions were lifted without enforcing mandatory cooling-off periods.
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Cross-Brand Identifiers – Challenges were noted in detecting duplicate or closely matching player identities across different brands under the same corporate group.
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Limit-Setting Prompts – Some platforms did not sufficiently prompt new players to set limits on deposits or wagers during account registration.
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Reality Check Messaging – Information displayed in “Reality Check” pop-ups was inconsistent or incomplete in certain instances.
Regulatory Response and Expectations
The MGA has formally communicated its findings to the affected licensees, requiring them to address the identified gaps and submit corrective action plans. Follow-up supervision and ongoing monitoring will continue as part of the Authority’s risk-based oversight strategy, ensuring that enhancements are implemented effectively.
This review aligns with broader regulatory efforts to reinforce player protection, and the Authority is encouraging all operators to review the insights to refine internal responsible gaming controls and industry best practices.
For gaming operators, the MGA’s findings reinforce the importance of robust self-exclusion frameworks as both a regulatory obligation and a strategic safeguard. In an increasingly scrutinised regulatory environment, responsible gaming controls must be treated as a core governance function rather than an afterthought.
What Licence Holders Should Do
To mitigate regulatory risk and align with the MGA’s expectations, licence holders should conduct a comprehensive internal review of their responsible gaming frameworks, focusing on both technical functionality and operational execution. This includes implementing real-time cross-brand self-exclusion controls across all group platforms; strengthening identity-matching systems to detect duplicate accounts; automating immediate exclusion activation; enforcing mandatory cooling-off periods through system controls rather than manual overrides; and regularly testing player-facing tools through independent audits or mystery shopping exercises.
Additionally, operators should ensure that responsible gaming messaging is clear, consistent, and embedded throughout the customer journey, particularly during onboarding and high-risk behavioural triggers. Training customer support teams and documenting escalation procedures are equally critical to demonstrate effective governance and accountability during regulatory reviews.
How BDO Malta Can Support
An experienced regulatory and corporate advisor can play a pivotal role in strengthening an operator’s compliance posture. Advisors can perform independent gap analyses against MGA requirements, benchmark existing controls against industry best practice, and assist in drafting or enhancing responsible gaming policies and internal procedures.
With close to 50 years of experience in Malta, BDO understands our clients’ business models as a first step. Our teams are specialists in their respective fields and have a proactive, flexible approach to helping companies to overcome the challenges they face. BDO Malta can also support gaming operators with a full suite of AML Compliance and Risk Advisory services, including strengthening AML frameworks, and providing ongoing compliance support.
We work closely with gaming service and critical supply licensees on matters of financial, regulatory, corporate, technical and fiscal compliance, starting off by setting up your company, providing the required guidance and support to submit a complete application, maintaining the company in good standing, providing ongoing compliance support and the statutory independent audit and assurance oversight. Whether you’re exploring our services, applying for an MGA gaming licence, or seeking reliable compliance support for your licensed business, our experts are here to help.
