Casinos that operate online especially need online gambling licenses to operate legally in countries. They also need licenses to regulate fair business and practices. Because of these reasons, countries, and governments have set up agencies to offer regulatory actions, simple to strict. MGA of Malta Gambling Authority is one the largest and fairly strict online casino regulators and their online casinos are some of the best in the world, in terms of overall user experience.
MGA or Malta is the best regulatory body for EU or European Union resident online casinos and gambling platforms because MGA has superior jurisdiction and coverage in these regions. Today, MGA is world-renowned for its best practices and stringent rules which ensure a customer-first policy. So, all MGA casinos are safe and great. Before we get deeper into the most popular new casinos with MGA licenses as of 2022, let us know briefly about the regulatory body itself.
The MGA
As we mentioned above, it is a gambling authority or commission and the MGA is the world’s most renowned and reliable gambling licensing authority for online casinos. It safeguards players’ rights and upholds responsibility for the casinos for fraud. This means a safe environment for both parties to enjoy real money betting. So, we take a look at how MGA works, regulates, and then come to some of the most popular casinos.
A brief overview of MGA should begin with its establishment in 2001, which makes it some 20 years old. It was known as the Lotteries and Gaming Authority or LGA back in the days and it became a pioneer in regulatory bodies for online sports, gaming, and lotteries. Because of this, though not the oldest, it became a widespread community and name. And, most players began to trust casinos with its license. In 2015, there was a paradigm shift, and they moved their focus from land-based casinos to the world of iGaming and online casinos. As we know today, online slots, video poker, and online live casinos became a platform in the past 5 or so years. And, today it is the most famous and reputed online regulatory body for such digital gambling sites. It covers both land-based as well as online gambling avenues.
MGA has a lot of responsibilities and it can take up to one year to get its license. It goes through rigorous verification and testing. Some of the most popular brands like Gammix Ltd., Frank Casino, and Rizk also bear MGA licenses. Most of the software and game developers like Microgaming, and NetEnt also bear MGA licenses. So, MGA became a go-to destination for most iGaming brands and websites.
What Does MGA Do?
So, the basic functioning of the commission comes back to setting up rules and norms for businesses like casinos to follow for the benefit of their players, or customers. So, MGA is a licensing body that aims to do the following.
- It licenses online gambling companies.
- Collection of taxes on behalf of the Malta government.
- Monitors the operators that bear MGA license.
- Safeguards players’ interests and fairness of gameplay.
- Upholds players’ rights and undertakes thorough investigations of complaints.
- Enforces responsible gambling policies.
- Protects minors and vulnerable players from addiction and financial loss.
- Enforces contribution of gambling sector to national development.
In short, MGA is responsible for keeping the entertainment and real money betting business neat and clean. Some of its particular interest points are discussed elaborately below.
How Does MGA Protect Gamblers?
As we call them gamblers or players, a regulatory body can help monitor and regulate casinos from cheating their customers. If they lose their license, they become illegal in countries and may even have to shut their websites down. Such strict policies enable players to enjoy a safe zone.
As of 2022, the following casinos have a top-ranking and are most popular based on user activity.
- Scatters
- 20Bet
- 18Bet
- Rant
- Vegas Casino
- Mason Slots
- Rizk
- Lotto and many more
Now, these are some of the best and safest online casinos for players. But, how does the gambling regulatory body do this? So, the Player Protection Regulation was established under the MGA in 2018 and it works by making a Unified Self-Barring Database. It aims to protect players who are vulnerable to the problem. In this case, they can self-bar and prevent them from MGA casinos to grant access. There are other ways by which MGA casinos must allow players to choose and set controls in their gaming accounts. For example, setting deposit limits and wagering limits.
Setting deposit limits means the maximum amount that a player can deposit within a certain time can be controlled. The players will be asked to mandatorily set these limits beforehand and when they register and create a new account. This option is available so that players do not exceed this and fall into financial loss. Similarly, setting wagering limits allows players to set the maximum amount a layer can bet in a certain time frame. Sometimes, compulsive gambling can be monitored or prevented by using these limitations.
Further, MGA enables all its licensed casinos to have settings for loss limits, time or session limits and so on which will help to avoid getting addicted to gambling. And, the most vulnerable people can make use of them for safety. And, these limits apply to all games. Similarly, any request to remove such limits will also take at least 24 hours to process, which is a good enough time to avoid addiction.
Similarly, there are other policies and laws like the Anti-Money Laundering AML act, and the fair Gaming act. They all make it compulsory for all MGA-licensed online casinos to be fair and neat.
Summary
In brief, the MGA is a great monitor and policing body which ensures the entertainment and fun of online gambling and casinos. Most popular online casinos change from time to time, so keep a check on these rankings. There are several websites to find them for free, even based on your country.
