Fewer players, more profit. The Malta Gaming Authority Annual Report was very revealing regarding where the iGaming industry in the country goes, as well as how much profit it can hold in a single year. The sector contributed 8.2% to Malta's total gross value added, a feat that cannot go unnoticed.
Even with global market changes, the industry generated €1.422 billion gross, which represents a solid growth of 3.5% year-on-year. And these numbers came despite the fact that the number of gaming accounts decreased by 65.3%. New registrations also fell by 75.4% to approximately 4.1 million, and the number of licensed online operators dropped by 3.3%, to 294 companies.
13.8 Million Accounts After Database Cleanups
The MGA doesn’t view the drop in active accounts as a loss of interest in gaming, but more like the result of a global structural change. Operators are adapting to regulatory changes and local tax models, being obliged to reorganise their databases. This left them with 13.8 million active accounts, down 65.3% from last year.
The numbers are really close to reality, since advanced database automation and automated compliance tools helped the bookmakers to eliminate inactive or duplicate accounts. It’s almost impossible to see such a decrease next year. At the same time, the operators have a great opportunity: to focus heavily on B2B services, an area that has shown steady growth over the last couple of years.
Malta now holds 171 business-to-business licenses, compared to 68 in 2018. At the same time, B2C licenses dropped to 131. Still, the industry remains a top employer in Malta, with approximately 19,150 people (6.5% of the country's total workforce) employed there.
Traditional Payments Prevail
On the payment methods landscape, the players still rely on the traditional banking system. Credit and debit cards were the most popular deposit methods in 2025, used in 44.3% of transactions. Bank transfers represented the second-largest share at 34.5%, with e-wallets following at 14.6%. Other methods made up the remaining 6.5% of payments.
Withdrawals tell a different story, though. Bank transfers are the players' preferred method, accounting for 68.5% of withdrawals. E-wallets accounted for 16.8% of withdrawals, while credit and debit cards accounted for 10.7%. However, this still means a 5.4% increase for card withdrawals compared to 2024.
