How to Check an MGA License

The Malta Gaming Authority and what it licenses

The Malta Gaming Authority is the national gambling regulator of Malta, a small European Union island state that has become one of the busiest licensing hubs in online gambling. When a betting or casino site says it is "licensed by the MGA," it means the company has been authorized by this regulator to offer gambling services, and that it answers to the MGA for how it treats players.

The scope of an MGA license is defined by service types. A Type 1 Gaming Services license, for example, covers casino games; other types cover betting and other products¹. The license number itself tells you something: MGA numbers look like MGA/B2C/XXX/YYYY, where B2C means the license is for serving players directly rather than other businesses¹. If the number on a site does not match this pattern, that is an early warning sign of a fake.

What does the license mean in practice?

• MGA-licensed operators must run identity and age checks before allowing play, so expect to verify your account with a photo ID and proof of address⁵.
• They must also prove financial stability to the MGA every year, and keep player funds separate from the company's operational funds, which is what stands between your balance and a company's cash-flow problems¹.
• And when a dispute arises, the MGA operates an official complaint channel that accepts and reviews player complaints, alongside similar bodies at other top-tier regulators⁷.

Some big names operate under MGA licenses. Betway is licensed to provide gambling services by the Malta Gaming Authority³, and its online casino is licensed in Canada by the MGA as well⁸. Betfair International Plc is licensed and regulated by the MGA under license number MGA/CRP/131/2006, for customers residing anywhere other than the UK, Australia or New Zealand, where other arrangements apply⁴. For a broader picture of what an MGA license means for you as a player, see our page on the Malta Gaming Authority.

Running an MGA license check, step by step

Here is the full process, from finding the number to confirming it. It takes a few minutes and costs nothing.

Step 1: Find the license claim. Scroll to the footer of the gambling site. Licensed online casinos display the registration number or logo of their licensing body in the footer, in the style of "Licensed by PAGCOR," "Regulated by Curacao eGaming" or "Under Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)"². Note the exact license number and the brand name as written.

Step 2: Check the number format. A genuine MGA license number looks like MGA/B2C/XXX/YYYY. If the number you found is a random string, a plain serial number, or a number in some other regulator's format presented as an MGA license, the claim is suspect¹. Our page on how to read a gambling license number breaks down each part.

Step 3: Search the official register. Go to the MGA's verification page at verify.mga.org.mt and enter the license number, brand name or IP address. One operator documented doing exactly this: entering the license code into the search box on verify.mga.org.mt and getting confirmation that the license was valid⁹. If the details match, the license is real; if no data is found, the license is likely fake or borrowed from another operator². This is the same approach regulators recommend generally: before transferring money into a gambling account, check that you can see the operator's address, website domain names, trading names and current license status¹⁰.

Step 4: Read the terms and conditions. Beyond the license itself, look at the terms and conditions for each gambling product on the site. This helps you understand exactly what you are betting on, so you can make an informed decision about gambling with them¹⁰. A licensed operator's terms should name its regulator and license number consistently with what the register shows.

Step 5: Check the games and providers. On a properly licensed site, the live casino and slot games come from certified providers with publicly available certifications and RTP audits¹. If a site claims an MGA license but runs unrecognizable games from unnamed studios, treat that as a red flag alongside whatever the register says.

If you want the general version of this process, covering any regulator rather than just Malta, see how to check a gambling license and our page on public gambling license registers.

Recent MGA activity: reports, reviews and the AI Gaming Charter

The MGA is an active regulator, and its recent publications are useful context when you are weighing a site's claim.

Notices on unauthorized URLs. Through 2026 the MGA has repeatedly published notices declaring it has no connection with specific websites and that their claimed Maltese licenses are false and misleading.

These notices are the MGA's direct answer to fake license claims, and they show how common the problem is. Our page on websites that falsely claim an MGA license goes deeper.

The 2025 Annual Report. On July 7, 2026 the MGA published its Annual Report and audited Financial Statements for 2025. The annual report is the best single source for seeing the scale of Malta's licensing operation and the regulator's priorities; it is available on the MGA's website.

Thematic review on governance. On July 29, 2026 the MGA published the findings of its Thematic Review on Governance Assurance, covering key functions at both B2B and B2C authorized persons. Reviews like this are how the MGA checks that its licensees are actually run the way their licenses require.

The AI Gaming Charter. On May 8, 2026 the MGA opened a targeted consultation on a proposed AI Gaming Charter, developed with the Malta Digital Innovation Authority. The charter, a voluntary framework for responsible AI use in gaming, was officially launched on September 18, 2026 following industry collaboration. It signals where the regulator's attention is heading.

Player protections behind the license. MGA-licensed operators run identity and age checks before allowing play¹¹, and licensees must prove financial stability every year, with player funds kept separate from operational funds. If a dispute arises, the MGA operates an official complaint channel that accepts and reviews player complaints; review and mediation can take several months and requires you to submit evidence. These are the practical safeguards a Malta license is meant to guarantee.

Who actually holds an MGA license, and the alternatives

Beyond Betway and Betfair, mentioned above, many operators serving Asian players hold or claim MGA licenses. The operator iBET, for example, cites the MGA license MGA/B2C/748/2019 for its casino offering¹. Claims, however, are not always true. Ganga Club, a site aimed at Hindi-speaking players, displays "License: Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)" on its own page¹², and the brand Oubao Entertainment has claimed to hold legal licenses from Malta's MGA in Europe and from the Philippine government's PAGCOR¹³. Neither claim means anything until it matches the register at verify.mga.org.mt.

Not every legitimate offshore site is licensed in Malta, and that is fine: the point of a license check is to confirm the claim a site makes, not to insist on a particular regulator. Anjouan, an island in the Comoros, has become a common alternative. Some operators state plainly that they are "licensed in Anjouan for the provision of online games of chance"¹⁴. CoinPoker holds a license from the Anjouan Gaming Authority¹⁵. Anjouan also runs its own online validation system, so the same check-before-you-deposit logic applies. See our pages on how to verify an Anjouan gaming license and the Anjouan Gaming Authority for that process.

Other regulators you may see named in footers include Curacao eGaming; IgnitionCasino.eu, for instance, carries a Curacao eGaming verification seal linking to Curacao's validation page¹⁶. We cover that in how to verify a Curacao gambling license. One more thing worth knowing: an MGA license does not make a site legal everywhere. Betfair, though MGA-licensed for much of the world, is treated as an unlicensed gambling service provider in Singapore¹⁷, and in Malaysia no online gambling operators have been granted licenses at all, with only physical gambling operators licensed under the relevant law¹⁸. A license tells you the operator is accountable to its regulator; whether you may use it where you live is a separate question, and in much of Asia the practical risk is that local law, not the MGA, is what applies to you.

When the register says no: what a failed check means

If you search a site's license number, brand name or IP address at verify.mga.org.mt and nothing comes back, the license is likely fake or borrowed². Here is what to do, and what not to expect.

First, stop depositing. The practical reason is simple: if a withdrawal stalls or an account is frozen at a site with no genuine license, there is no regulator to turn to. The MGA can only act on operators it licenses⁵. A fake license claim means the safety net you thought you had does not exist.

Second, preserve the evidence. Take screenshots of every potential false claim: the license number, the regulator logo, the claimed operator details¹⁹. These matter if you report the site.

Third, report it. Players who suspect a fake casino are advised to report the site to the relevant regulator, including the MGA, through its public complaint form, and then move on to a verified site¹⁹. Our page on how to complain to the Malta Gaming Authority explains the process, and regulator warning lists and blacklists covers the notice system the MGA uses to name these sites publicly.

If you want to understand the tricks behind fake claims, see fake gambling license claims and the risks of playing on unlicensed sites.

What a confirmed license actually gets you

Once the register confirms a site's MGA license, you know what to expect from the operator, and it is worth knowing before your first deposit.

You will be asked to verify your identity. MGA-licensed operators run identity and age checks before allowing play⁵, and in practice this means submitting a picture ID, such as a copy of your passport, driver's license or national ID card, plus a recent utility bill listing your name and address as proof of residence⁶. Some operators run these checks through certified identity verification partners¹⁶. It is a routine step at any licensed site, and the documents requested are the same across the industry: a passport, driver's license or national ID card with your name, photograph and signature visible⁹.

Your funds sit apart from the operator's. MGA licensees must prove financial stability annually and keep player funds separate from operational funds¹, which is the structural protection that matters most if a company hits trouble.

Your games are audited. If you want to dig into those audits yourself, see our page on RNG fairness audits like eCOGRA and GLI.

You have a complaint channel. The MGA and regulators of its tier operate official dispute resolution channels that accept and review player complaints. Be realistic about timing: review and mediation can take several months, and you will need to submit evidence⁷. Our page on gambling ADR services explains how independent dispute resolution works.

None of this makes gambling safe in the sense of profitable, and none of it overrides local law where you live. What a confirmed MGA license gives you is accountability: a named regulator that has checked the operator's finances, audited its games, and will hear your complaint if things go wrong. That is worth the few minutes the check takes.