Malta remains one of Europe's principal online gambling hubs, with more than 300 operators licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) and the sector accounting for an estimated 12% of the country's economic output. But 2026 has brought the jurisdiction's most serious legal challenge in years, centred on "Bill 55" — Article 56A of Malta's Gaming Act — which allows Maltese courts to refuse recognition of foreign judgments against MGA-licensed operators when those judgments conflict with Malta's own gambling framework.
Key Facts
- Regulator
- Malta Gaming Authority (MGA)
- Licensed operators
- 300+
- Sector share of GDP
- ~12%
- Key legal issue
- Article 56A ("Bill 55")
- EU status
- Infringement proceedings open (since Jun 2025)
The European Commission opened formal infringement proceedings against Malta over Bill 55 in June 2025, and an Advocate General opinion delivered to the CJEU in April 2026 concluded the measure appears designed to shield a domestic industry from financial exposure rather than to uphold legitimate legal principle — though the opinion is non-binding and a final ruling is still pending. Reporting citing legal specialists estimates gambling losses currently frozen behind Bill 55-blocked claims from players in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden could eventually total around €1bn. A separate April 2026 CJEU ruling in an unrelated Malta-referred case confirmed that EU member states retain the right to prohibit specific online gambling services within their borders even when those services are licensed elsewhere in the EU — a principle that, if it prevails, would weaken the "single EU licence" argument Malta-based operators have long relied on.