The Malta Gaming Authority and Malta Digital Innovation Authority launched a voluntary AI Gaming Charter for the gaming sector. The framework sets out guidance on governance, human oversight and ethical use, and complements existing laws, including the EU AI Act.
Gaming operators receive sector-specific guidance on governance and oversight of AI systems.
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Daniela Agnello criticised the Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) for not attending SiGMA 2026 in Rome, reportedly saying its presence could have enabled dialogue with licensed businesses. She also questioned whether the regulator gives enough attention to engagement with authorised operators alongside inspections and enforcement.
The Italian Customs and Monopolies Agency (ADM) did not attend SiGMA 2026 in Rome, a point raised by Daniela Agnello, founder and lawyer at Studio Legale Agnello, during the panel "The Italian Market Compared with International Markets: Key Characteristics, Development and Innovation". Agnello said she visited pavilion 3 and came across the stand of the Malta Gaming Authority, which led her to question the participation of international regulators and, above all, the absence of the Italian one. She said the regulator was not alongside licensees or authorised games, did not take part in panels and did not accept debate.
Betstarters operations director Mauro Miceli called for Italy to consider Malta’s approach of bringing the regulator and operators together for discussions, speaking at SiGMA World 2026. He said 25% of gambling in Italy was illegal and claimed illegal sites in Brazil grew by 70% after online gambling was closed there.
The MGA reportedly abandoned several proposed amendments to Malta’s Recognition Notice framework after industry pushback, according to a media report. The regulator said its final approach would distinguish B2B and B2C businesses and use targeted, risk-based information gathering; it plans to continue consulting foreign licence holders.
A media report says the regulator has dropped a number of the changes it had put forward for the Recognition Notice framework, following resistance from the industry. Even so, the report added that the authority intends to keep seeking the views of foreign licence holders and to collect further input.
The MGA has concluded a consultation on changes to Malta’s recognition-notice regime for gambling businesses operating under foreign licences. In a feedback statement dated 26 October, the authority said stakeholders supported the direction of the proposals but called for proportionality and practical implementation; the government is scaling back the reforms after industry resistance and said new legislation may be needed.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has concluded its consultation on changes to Malta's Recognition Notice regime and set out a softened set of proposals in a feedback statement dated 26 October. The Maltese government is scaling back its reforms to foreign licence recognition after resistance from the industry, and has said new legislation may be required. The MGA said it will begin collecting information from foreign licence-holders under the new regime this year, covering the 2025 reporting period and limited to business-to-consumer operators.
The Malta Gaming Authority said it had no connection with six URLs identified during October 2026. It said references on those websites to the MGA or Maltese gaming licences were false and misleading, and advised consumers to check that a provider is authorised.
During October 2026 the Malta Gaming Authority identified a set of websites and stated that it has no link to them. The regulator's notice adds that where those sites mention the MGA or claim gaming licences from the Maltese Authority, such references are false and misleading.