Casino visitor numbers fall in 2025, but gaming revenue rises by 18%

While the number of visits to casinos in Malta declined in 2025, overall casino gaming revenue skyrocketed, data published by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) shows.

Malta has four licensed casinos. These are the Dragonara Casino, Portomaso Casino, Casino Malta and the Oracle Casino.

The total number of visits to local casinos between January and December of 2025 stood at 846,848, a decrease of 4.8 per cent when compared to 2024 (889,902), the report shows. A downward trend can also be seen here, as in 2023 there were 925,088 player visits. 2023 was the highest point in terms of player visits since pre-COVID.

A decline in new player registrations can also be seen. Casino operators are required to register every new-to-the-casino player who enters their premises, and data shows that during 2025, operators reported a total of 183,506 registrations in their establishments, including multiple registrations by a single player in more than one casino. This is significantly less than the 201,432 new player registrations in 2024, and continues a downward trend from 2023, when there were 225,462.

The MGA mainly attributed the recent decline in registrations and visits to the refurbishment of two of the casinos, “which disrupted normal operations and affected the volume of traffic during the renovation period.”

But in 2025, casino gaming revenue rose. It increased by 17.9 per cent when compared to 2024. The MGA said that this growth was primarily driven by a higher average spend per visit, despite a decline in the total number of visitors.

The data shows that the average gaming revenue per visit rose sharply to €84 during 2025, an increase of 22.4 per cent when compared to 2024.

“This represents the highest average spend per visit recorded in the casino sector,” the MGA said, adding that this development reflects shifts in casino operating models and added investment in the range and quality of products available.

“These shifts have influenced how players engage with casino offerings, contributing to higher GR levels even as the overall number of individual players has decreased,” the MGA said.

This newsroom contacted local casino operators to get an understanding as to the changes they made that led to such an increase, however none provided answers, with one operator stating that the information is sensitive in nature.

The MGA report shows that almost all gaming revenue (90.8 per cent) for 2025 was generated from Type 1 games (casino games). 8.9 per cent was generated from Type 3 games, which are peer-to-peer bingo and poker. The remaining 0.2 per cent came from Type 2 games, from fixed betting odds.

In 2025, an increase in junket players was noted. A junket player is typically a VIP or high-roller gambler who is invited to participate in a casino junket, which is a trip organised to encourage gambling activity. In 2025, local casinos hosted 2,125 junket players, which is far higher than the 1,376 in 2024.

“The increase observed in 2025 relative to recent years was largely attributable to higher activity levels, reflecting marketing efforts targeted at this segment,” the MGA said.

The gaming revenue from the junket activity stood at 13.7 per cent of the total gaming revenue reported in 2025. This, the MGA highlighted, was an increase of two percentage points over 2024.

Maltese player segment saw almost 14 per cent decrease in visits

In terms of overall visitors, visits by non-Maltese players accounted for 68.8 per cent of all casino visits in 2025. In terms of reduction in visitors from the previous years, the number of visits by Maltese players decreased by 13.4 per cent, while that of non-Maltese players decreased by 0.4 per cent when compared to the 2024 figures.

Of the total visits to casinos, persons aged 65 and over constituted 24.4 per cent. This segment saw the largest proportional decline (11.5 per cent) when compared to the previous year.

“Visitors from the 35–54 age bracket continued to show relative stability, accounting for 26.1 per cent of total visits. Visits by players from the 25–34, 18-24 and 55-64 age brackets accounted for 19.8 per cent, 17.7 per cent, and 12 per cent of the total visits, respectively.”

MGA collections

The MGA said it collected almost €21.6 million by way of compliance contribution fee, licence fees, levies, and a 5 per cent consumption tax on customers located in Malta during 2025.

In terms of employment the total number of full-time equivalent employees in casinos was 583, a slight increase over 2024.