casino.net Highlights Risks of Relying on Casino Licence Badges

casino.net has published new analysis examining how players can verify whether an online casino genuinely holds the Malta Gaming Authority authorisation it claims to have. Led by Dominic Pines, who writes casino.net’s Malta market coverage, the analysis highlights the limitations of relying on licence badges, numbers and regulatory logos displayed in casino website footers. Instead, Pines argues that verification should begin with the operator’s URL and current authorisation status using the MGA’s public licensee register. Pines said: A licence badge in a footer proves somebody put an image in a footer. That is the whole of what it proves. URL Verification Provides a Stronger Check The MGA maintains a public register that can be searched using information including licensee name, authorisation status, URL and gaming service. According to Pines, URL-level verification is particularly important because an operator may be associated with a legitimate company name without the specific website being covered by the relevant authorisation. He explained: You go to the register and you start from the URL, not from the name. The analysis recommends checking three elements together: the licence number, the website URL and the current authorisation status. If those elements do not correspond, Pines believes further verification should take place before an operator is recommended to players. Impersonation Makes Static Badges Unreliable The issue has become particularly relevant following an MGA notice published in July 2026 concerning websites impersonating licensed operators. According to the notice referenced in casino.net’s analysis, the regulator had identified websites misleading consumers into believing they were MGA-licensed or otherwise authorised under Malta’s Gaming Act. The MGA identified active URLs it said had no connection with the Authority and described references to MGA licences on those domains as false and misleading. Pines argues that the case demonstrates why a copied logo or licence number cannot independently establish regulatory status. casino.net Uses Licence Status as a Listing Requirement The findings also influence how casino.net evaluates operators for its Malta market coverage. According to Pines, every operator listed on the site’s Malta page must hold an active MGA licence before it can be considered. Operators are then tested across areas including account setup, games, withdrawals and customer support. Pines said: The register decides whether an operator can be considered at all, and the testing decides where it lands. The process does not end when an operator is first reviewed. casino.net says regulatory status needs to be treated as information that is regularly maintained because licences can lapse, brands can change ownership and domains can be reassigned. Greater Transparency Around Licensing Pines believes the wider industry should also become more precise when describing regulatory status. Rather than simply stating that an operator is “licensed and regulated,” he argues that publishers should identify the relevant jurisdiction, authorisation and verifiable information supporting the claim. Pines said: A regulator that publishes the fakes is giving you a verification tool. A regulator that says nothing is not thereby cleaner, it is just quieter.