On 14 October 2025, the Court of Appeal confirmed a judgment of the First Hall of the Civil Court dismissing Maltco Lotteries Limited’s claims that the Malta Gaming Authority and the Government breached the terms of the National Lottery concession awarded to Maltco Lotteries Limited by authorising third party operators to offer certain gaming services, dismissing Maltco Lotteries Limited’s appeal in its entirety and thus putting an end to a lengthy dispute between the parties.
In 2012, Maltco Lotteries Limited was awarded a license and concession which granted it the exclusive rights to offer the National Lottery Games: namely, Grand Lottery, Super 5, and Lotto. Maltco Lotteries Limited however, claimed that the exclusivity granted to it by the said concession went beyond the National Lotteries Games, extending to gaming services defined as ‘Additional Games’ in the concession. The Additional Games referred to games of chance not being a National Lottery Game, including sports betting and bingo.
On the strength of this interpretation, Maltco Lotteries Limited argued before the Court that, by authorising third parties to offer such Additional Games, the Malta Gaming Authority and the Government breached the terms of the concession, requesting that both respondents be condemned to pay damages accordingly.
Despite this, in its judgment of 29 September 2022, the First Hall of the Civil Court disagreed with Maltco Lotteries Limited’s interpretation of the concession terms, finding that the exclusivity granted pursuant thereto was limited to the National Lottery Games and did not extend to the Additional Games. Maltco Lotteries Limited lodged an appeal from this judgment, which appeal was however dismissed by a judgment of the Court of Appeal on 14 October 2025 confirming the First Hall of the Civil Court’s judgment in its entirety.
The Malta Gaming Authority was represented in these proceedings by Dr Karl Briffa of VB Advocates.
