Malta Casino and Card Room Gaming

Malta's casinos are primarily targeted to tourists. There are several casinos in Malta operating under 10-year licenses granted by the Lottery and Gaming Authority. The casinos, which offer slot machines and live gaming, are Malta's largest source of gaming tax. The first casino opened in 1964.

In November 2007, the Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) announced it would begin a crackdown on unregistered VLTs in March 2008. The owners of the unregistered machines would be heavily fined and have the machines confiscated. In the past, machines were purchased and used without any checks or balances, but operators would now have to be licensed, their machines registered, and their establishment approved. VLT owners had until March 2008 to comply with the new laws.