Malta Gaming Licence Types Explained (MGA, 2026)

Almost every operator who researches Malta arrives with the same confusion: they have heard about “Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, Type 4” and a separate B2B licence, and they cannot tell whether these are four different licences, four fees, or four boxes to tick on one form. The answer matters, because the type you choose drives your share capital, your certification and what you are actually allowed to run.

In our practice, the operators who get Malta right start from their product, not the licence. The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) does not licence “a casino” or “a sportsbook” — it licences a Gaming Service across defined game types, and it licences suppliers separately. Here is exactly what each Malta gaming licence type authorises, which products fall under it, what capital it demands, and how to pick the right type — or combination of types — for what you are building.

The two licence classes: B2C Gaming Service and B2B Critical Gaming Supply

Before the numbers, get the structure right, because it is where most confusion starts. Under the Gaming Act, the MGA issues two classes of licence. A B2C Gaming Service licence authorises a company to run games and take bets from players — this is the operator licence, and it is the one that comes in four types. A B2B Critical Gaming Supply licence authorises a company to supply those operators with software, platform technology or game content, without ever holding a player deposit. The two are siblings, not rivals: they share a regulator, a statute, a substance requirement and the same fit-and-proper due diligence.

The practical consequence is that “which Malta type do I need” is really two questions. If you take bets from players, you need a B2C Gaming Service licence and you choose one or more of the four types below. If you build the platform, the RNG or the games that sit behind other people’s casinos, you need the B2B licence instead — our dedicated Malta B2B gaming licence guide covers that supply-side route in full. A company that does both can hold both on a single corporate base.

The four B2C Gaming Service types, explained

The four types are not four separate licences. They are game-type scopes within one Gaming Service licence, and you add the ones your product needs. Each maps to a distinct category of gambling activity, and each carries its own minimum share-capital floor. This is the breakdown operators ask us to draw first:

Type 1 — casino and RNG games. This is the type most operators think of as “the casino licence.” It covers games of chance played against the operator where the outcome is generated by a certified random number generator: online slots, RNG-based roulette and blackjack, live-dealer casino, virtual sports and RNG lotteries. If your player is betting against the house and software decides the result, you are in Type 1. It carries a €100,000 minimum share-capital floor, reflecting that the operator carries the liability on every hand.

Type 2 — fixed-odds betting. Type 2 covers wagering on the outcome of a real-world event the operator does not control — a football match, a horse race, an esports fixture. The defining feature is that the risk sits with the operator against a fixed or agreed set of odds. A sportsbook, an in-play betting product or a racing book are all Type 2. Like Type 1 it requires €100,000 in share capital, because the operator again holds the book and the exposure.

Type 3 — peer-to-peer. Type 3 is the type for products where players wager against each other rather than against the house, and the operator earns a commission or rake rather than a betting margin. Online poker rooms, betting exchanges and networked bingo are the classic Type 3 products. Because the operator is not carrying the risk of the outcome — it is matching players and taking a cut — the minimum share capital is lower, at €40,000.

Type 4 — controlled skill games. Type 4 is the narrowest: games where the outcome is determined by skill rather than chance, run as controlled skill games under MGA rules. Fantasy sports, skill-based competition platforms and pool betting on skill games sit here, sharing the €40,000 minimum with Type 3. Most operators never need Type 4 on its own; it usually appears alongside another type in a broader product suite.

Holding more than one type — and how capital combines

Because the four types are scopes within a single Gaming Service licence, an operator running more than one vertical does not file two licences — it adds both types to the same authorisation. A brand offering slots and sports betting holds one Gaming Service licence with Type 1 and Type 2 mapped in; a casino-and-poker brand combines Type 1 and Type 3. This is one of Malta’s real practical advantages over jurisdictions that force a separate permit per product line.

The catch is capital. When you combine types, you do not simply add the floors together — the MGA applies a combined minimum that steps up to €240,000 for a full multi-type operation, rather than stacking €100,000 plus €100,000 mechanically. What matters for budgeting is that your product mix, not a single headline figure, sets the capital line. A pure Type 3 poker room capitalises at €40,000; a full multi-vertical operator running casino, betting and poker approaches the €240,000 ceiling. This is exactly why we model the type combination before incorporation: the capital you fund on day one is a direct function of the types you scope, and getting it wrong means either over-committing cash or refiling. The wider fee and capital picture is laid out in our Malta gaming licence cost guide.

The B2B Critical Gaming Supply licence

The fifth Malta authorisation is not a numbered type at all. Software providers, platform vendors, RNG suppliers and game studios whose products materially affect the gameplay or the operator’s regulatory outcome hold a B2B Critical Gaming Supply licence. It authorises supplying MGA-licensed and other regulated operators with the technology behind their casinos — the platform, the game engine, the RNG, the content — and it never involves holding a player deposit. That single fact shapes its whole risk profile: a B2B holder sells to operators, so its banking, its substance and its reason to exist all look different from a B2C operator’s.

Suppliers reach for the B2B licence for the same reason it exists in every serious regime: licensed operators will not integrate an unlicensed vendor into a regulated stack. A studio or platform without a supply credential becomes the compliance exposure an operator’s auditor flags, so the licence has become a commercial passport into the regulated market rather than a formality. A company that both builds a platform and runs its own brand can hold the B2B licence and a B2C Gaming Service licence together — one Malta company, one substance base, two scopes.

How to pick the right type (or types) for your product

The method we use with clients starts from the product, never the licence. First, define the game mechanic: does the player bet against the house on an RNG (Type 1), against the operator on a real-world event (Type 2), against other players for a commission (Type 3), or on a controlled skill game (Type 4)? Second, list every vertical on your roadmap, not just launch day — adding a type later is straightforward, but it is cheaper to scope it once. Third, read the capital consequence: the type mix sets your minimum share capital, and combining types raises the floor. Fourth, decide whether you are ever a supplier as well as an operator, because that adds the B2B licence to the plan.

One structural point Malta operators should hold onto: unlike the offshore permits Vantegris also runs, a Malta licensee is a Malta company with genuine local substance, key functions and a compliance/MLRO function on the island — there is no third-country applicant shortcut and no forced Cyprus payment agent, because Malta’s EU standing gives access to tier-1 banking and specialist gaming payment providers directly. What stays true everywhere is banking discipline: mainstream processors such as the big consumer fintech names prohibit gambling flows, so even a tier-1 Malta operator banks through tier-1 banks and specialist high-risk acquirers, never consumer payment apps. For the full framework — types, substance, tax and timeline in one place — see our flagship Malta gaming licence guide.

If you know your product but not your type mix, that is exactly the gap we close first. We run the whole file — mapping your verticals to the right Type 1–4 scope, sizing the share capital, and setting up the Malta company and B2B supply licence where you need both — with our fees and the government costs shown separately. See the full scope on our Malta gaming licence page, then book a free consultation and we will scope the exact licence type mix your product needs before you commit a euro of capital.

This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before acting.