Malta has tripled gambling taxes from October 1, 2026.

[Hispo]

..., but only for those physically located in Malta. This effectively penalizes visitors to brick-and-mortar casinos.

At first glance, this new scheme of taxes will end up negatively affecting the native gambling industry of Malta, and will make it less competitive when compared to off-white casinos and bookies.
They should have stayed with their flat tax of five percent for all gambling activities within the country, at least on paper, it sounded fairer for all companies, regardless there were lotteries, bookies, or traditional casinos.

It gives me the impression the government of malta is either desperate for money or trying to put its own gambling industry in a disadvantageous position for some reason...

[cryptoaddictchie]

Article was tax for operators though, not customer wins. Also, i am fairly sure that you are supposed to pay same fixed taxes to your country, even if you win from overseas casino.

I am not saying you couldn't get away with not paying them taxes. I am just informing if you didn't know about this, so it won't come as surprise if you get caught for this.

Well that depends on the profit weve made, we have a bracket for users regarding the taxes. Though Id interpreted it wrong thought it was also for users.

Im well aware of taxes cause even lottery winning here on our country will reduced 20% before you even claimed. Though Im not sure on typical casino cause I never made a win so huge that it go above the required limit on tax plus Id rather keep quiet if ever I will cause I dont want to contribute to crocodile politicians of our country using the taxes. Id prefer to donate to people instead.

[Fivestar4everMVP]

However, the second tax increase does not apply to all categories of games.
Until October 1, Malta had a flat 5% tax on profits. Now, taxes are 15% for casinos and lotteries, and 10% for betting, poker, bingo, and stock exchanges.
https://betstarters.com/maltas-gaming-tax-overhaul-what-changes-for-operators-from-october-1-2026/
This shows that regulators are restricting games of chance the most. However, there's an important nuance that's easy to miss: the tax is now calculated on player revenue, but only for those physically located in Malta. This effectively penalizes visitors to brick-and-mortar casinos.

I am genuinely not surprised as this is something that is happening almost in every country of the world now, governments in different countries of the world are creating new ways of taxing their citizens and businesses operating in their country, while they are also increasing existing taxes.
I do not know much about the country called Malta but i believe that with this new development, they have proven to not be an exception from several other governments, but maybe this is good after all so long as the money raised from the taxes will be used judiciously for the development of the country and creating a better living environment for the citizens, this should be the top reason for this increment, anything other than this, I may not accept if i happen to be a citizen that country.

[bakasabo]

It’s interesting to wonder who exactly decided to introduce this law and why most likely, it’s an attempt to strike a blow against the gambling industry. I can’t think of any other explanation. Perhaps they know something we don’t, or maybe they simply intend to reduce the number of people who gamble after all, the average player is bound to feel the impact of these changes in their own pocket. With the tax rate set to triple, players will likely see fewer bonuses, as casinos simply won’t have the spare cash to offer them. For now, all we can do is wait and see; it’s possible that, in the end, only a handful of casinos few enough to count on the fingers of one hand will remain.

I think so too. The government certainly has strong reasons for updating the regulations by raising taxes on gambling, beyond simply generating more revenue for the state. The increase isn’t just 1% or 2%, but from 5% to 15%, that’s very significant. I have to admit that the government actions this time are quite aggressive. On the other hand, there are many things that casinos will undoubtedly have to adjust, they need to calculate and consider every aspect. In the worst case scenario, these new regulations could even force many casinos to close.

The government will hide behind "we care about people and want less gambling addictive" when they will be asked why tax went from 5% to 15%. They often do that, hiding behind good deed to have opportunity to fill pockets more stiff. If the reason to increase tax is because government found they are underpaid or casinos are getting way too much, then this is selfish and ridiculous. I think Malta wont have to wait long when effect of this increase will start expressing. Imagine what will be with Las Vegas if they triple their taxes. It will turn into ghost town.

[oll]

Starting October 1, 2026, licensed gambling establishments in Malta will no longer pay a flat tax on gambling and will pay new taxes, which will vary depending on the product the establishment offers to consumers.

However, the second tax increase does not apply to all categories of games.
Until October 1, Malta had a flat 5% tax on profits. Now, taxes are 15% for casinos and lotteries, and 10% for betting, poker, bingo, and stock exchanges.
https://betstarters.com/maltas-gaming-tax-overhaul-what-changes-for-operators-from-october-1-2026/
This shows that regulators are restricting games of chance the most. However, there's an important nuance that's easy to miss: the tax is now calculated on player revenue, but only for those physically located in Malta. This effectively penalizes visitors to brick-and-mortar casinos.

In fact, the tax on land-based casinos remains at five percent. It's also worth noting that the government has abolished the slot machine tax. There's no penalty for tourists to Malta; they still pay five percent. In short, the regulators haven't made life worse for land-based tourism. Obviously, since the tax has tripled for large online casinos, they'll bear the heaviest taxes. Specifically, they're the ones with slots and RNG games. Apparently, they've decided to focus on the most popular games among gamblers.