The Malta Gaming Authority has introduced a voluntary AI charter aimed at keeping the technology under tighter control as gambling companies experiment with it across player protection, fraud checks and customer-facing systems.
MGA Puts AI Risk Under the Microscope
The Malta Gaming Authority has published a new framework designed to guide gambling companies using artificial intelligence.
Created alongside the Malta Digital Innovation Authority, the charter focuses on what the regulator describes as the ethical and responsible use of AI. It arrives as operators and suppliers increasingly test the technology across areas including customer support, fraud detection, player protection and internal decision-making.
The framework is voluntary, but it gives MGA-licensed businesses a clearer idea of what regulators expect as AI moves deeper into gambling operations.
Its approach broadly follows the European Union’s AI Act, separating AI applications according to their level of risk. Systems positioned closer to players or gambling outcomes face greater expectations around testing, monitoring, record-keeping and human oversight.
More Oversight as Player Impact Grows
The MGA is encouraging licensees to keep a record of the AI systems they use and introduce appropriate testing, validation and safety measures.
That could matter directly to casino players as more operators experiment with automated tools capable of analysing behaviour, recommending products or identifying signs of risky play.
MGA CEO Charles Mizzi said the regulator wants to give companies room to innovate while creating clearer boundaries around responsible deployment.
The message is fairly simple: using AI is not the problem. Letting opaque systems make increasingly important decisions without sufficient controls is where regulators begin to get twitchy.
Gambling Industry Still Testing the Waters
Despite the amount of noise surrounding AI, the MGA found that its use across the gambling sector remains patchy.
The authority described adoption as uneven and selective rather than widespread, with many projects still sitting at the minimum viable product stage and undergoing testing before broader deployment.
More established uses include data analysis, operational optimisation and customer-service chatbots.
AI appears less developed in areas including personalised recommendations, player profiling, fraud detection and anti-money laundering systems.
That distinction matters. A chatbot answering a withdrawal question is one thing. An algorithm deciding which casino offer a player sees next, or judging whether their behaviour looks risky, carries considerably more baggage.
Transparency Remains a Weak Spot
The MGA’s research also identified gaps around customer disclosure.
Only a small number of organisations told customers when AI was being used, while limited evidence was available on whether AI-driven personalisation could increase risky gambling behaviour among vulnerable players.
That is likely to become one of the more important questions as operators become better at tailoring casino experiences to individual users.
For players, greater personalisation can mean quicker recommendations and more relevant offers. It can also mean algorithms learning exactly what keeps someone playing.
The MGA’s charter does not shut the door on that technology, but it makes clear that companies will be expected to understand the risks before handing AI a bigger role in the gambling experience.
