Are Casinos Holding Licenses from Malta Really Better? Expert Erik King Weighs In

If your entry point into wagering started with watching your favorite esports heroes battling it out online for digital glory, nobody can reasonably blame you for not knowing much about Malta's remarkable influence on the gaming side of gambling. If you, like so many others, are now starting to check out online casinos as well as esports betting sites, you definitely should be paying attention to who's regulating that platform you enjoy so much.

This also might be news to you: Malta, that tiny island off the coast of Italy, is a major global casino iGaming player and has been for a long while. There's now this idea among many that casinos holding a coveted and difficult-to-get MGA license is simply better. But are they really as good as people say they are in reality? What have they done to get this reputation and, is it overblown or important to know? For some facts, renowned casino expert Erik King was asked for his thoughts in an exclusive interview recently. He has quite a bit to say, so let's focus on what's important for you—the gamer.

Malta might be small, but the casino scene sees them as significant

The impact Malta's had, and continues to have on iGaming, is no small footnote or forgettable thing. When asked why the country is often mentioned or spoken about online in international casino-related news stories, Erik King was quick to point out that this is no accident on Malta's part. "Everyone in the industry holds respect for what the Malta Gaming Authority has managed to do for trust in online gambling," says King. "When you pour over reviews on platforms and games holding licenses coming out of the island, this is made abundantly apparent. Gamblers trust the best online casinos in Malta because they know this."

A good, trusted license holds a lot of weight

Online casinos are in no short supply, but this overabundance and focus on quality over quantity makes life harder for gamblers worried about whether or not a casino will pay its due. King points to a recent piece of news about Malta's dominance to reiterate how licenses from the island hold worldwide significance. "Regulators everywhere see platforms with licenses from Malta's gambling authority as something of an industry standard. In other places, regulations are not so thorough, and don't extend to actually testing game software."

If Diablo 4 came out with an expansion or DLC allowing players to bet on how quickly they can kill the final boss, just as an example, players might be rightfully questioning how Activision Blizzard plans to make this new casino-like mechanic fair. Casinos are full of these mechanics, and Malta's seal of approval puts these worries to bed in an instant.

More oversight means more trust

According to King, Malta's Gaming Authority doesn't really do half-measures and demands quite a bit from a platform before handing out a license. "Nobody can comfortably say the authority there is messing around or letting small things slip through the cracks." News discussing why the influence from the island is so strong points to how carefully and considerately the MGA oversees the casinos under their licenses. According to King, a casino with one generally stands out for these reasons:

• Minimum deposits are usually lower than average
• Casinos only offer games coming from verified iGaming software providers
• Platforms often offer more than one kind of bonus to players
• Policies surrounding how a player's money is handled are stricter

Perhaps most importantly from a player's perspective, according to King, is the fact that Return to Player numbers have to be on display and easy to find for a casino to enjoy a Maltese license. Without these numbers, it's all-but-impossible for players to know for sure what exact kinds of odds they're working with.

"If you're not at least thinking about whether or not your casino might hold an MGA casino license, you're overlooking something important." King suggests in the interview that if you're already reading video gaming guides to be the best at game modes like Fortnite Reload, you absolutely should be thinking about who's overseeing how your casino is being run behind the scenes.

Malta's secret? Its opinion that gambling shouldn't be criminalized

Throughout the interview, King reiterates a few times that it's the country's views on how gambling should be approached that makes all the difference for gamblers. On the island, startups have found roots and flourished because of this idea that pushing the activity into the shadows only breeds unsafe environments and shady practices.

King states that the approach Malta takes isn't the same in other countries, and outlines why operators, players and the country itself gets the best deal through an MGA license:

• For gamblers: Choosing a licensed Malta casino means fair games, a clear idea of what is responsible and a promise that the casino in question won't be able to take them for a ride.
• For platform operators: When rules are clear, it's actually easier to set up an iGaming business that's more likely to succeed. Frameworks that players love will find more customers and keep casinos afloat for longer.
• For Malta: Right now, Gambling in Malta actually contributes somewhere around 12% of the country's GDP. Jobs and other economic benefits also play no small role, and there's still ongoing work being done to keep operators around, contributing to the good of the country through taxation and stable job creation.

Instead of trying to fight the popularity, Malta has embraced the concept that proper regulation is the best action to take. When wagering is treated responsibly and professionally, both players and operators have a safer and better space to play.