Light Casino legal status: our licence and the countries we serve
Light Casino operates under licence MGA/B2C/1236/2026 from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), and serves players who live in Malta, Ireland, Poland, Finland and Hungary under that one licence.
For each of the five countries, this page sets out how gambling is regulated, which authority is responsible, and where it publishes its register or its rules. Every statement comes from an official or primary source listed under Sources, so you can check it against the original.
Our licence
- Licence holder
- Lucenthra Gaming Limited, company number C 121846, registered at Level 2, Lucenthra House, Abate Rigord Street, Ta' Xbiex XBX 1120, Malta.
- Licence
- Licence MGA/B2C/1236/2026, issued by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) in Malta, valid until 3 August 2036.
- What it covers
- Type 1 gaming services: casino-type games of chance played against the house, including slots and table games.
- Check it yourself
- The Malta Gaming Authority publishes a public register of the licences it has issued: MGA licensee register.
Who can open an account
Accounts are open to people aged 18 or over who live in Malta, Ireland, Poland, Finland or Hungary. We serve all five under the same licence, MGA/B2C/1236/2026 from the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), named in section 1.1 of the terms. People who live in any other country cannot open an account; the list is in section 2.2 of the terms.
The country you live in sets the currency of your account (euro in Malta, Ireland and Finland, złoty in Poland, forint in Hungary) and the payment methods in the cashier, as the payments page shows. The sections below describe how gambling is regulated in each country.
Malta and Ireland
- Malta
- The Malta Gaming Authority licenses and supervises gaming, and publishes a public register of its licensees. It issued our licence.
- Ireland
- The Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland began issuing remote betting licences on 1 July 2026. Online casino licences are a later phase, not expected before 2027.
- Light Casino in Malta and Ireland
- We serve players who live in Malta and Ireland under our licence from the Malta Gaming Authority, MGA/B2C/1236/2026. Their accounts are held in euro (EUR).
Poland: online casino games are a state monopoly
- Who may offer them
- Under the Gambling Games Act of 19 November 2009 (ustawa o grach hazardowych), gambling offered over the internet is a state monopoly, except for betting and promotional lotteries (art. 5(1b)). The Ministry of Finance names a single state-owned company as the only legal online casino operator: slot, card, roulette-type and dice games. Online betting is a separate activity, open to companies holding a permit from the Minister of Finance.
- Where to check
- The Ministry of Finance lists every legal gambling operator and its website on its Legalny hazard page. The tax administration’s PUESC service explains how to check whether a gambling site is legal.
- Blocked domains
- The Ministry of Finance keeps a public Register of Domains used to offer gambling contrary to the Act, or to advertise or promote it. Telecommunications companies must block a listed domain within 48 hours of its entry, and payment service providers must stop serving it within 30 days.
- If you live in Poland
- Polish law prohibits taking part in online gambling run by anyone other than the monopoly holder (art. 29a). A participant in gambling organised without a licence or permit is liable to a financial penalty (art. 89), and taking part in foreign gambling from Poland is an offence under the Fiscal Penal Code, punishable by a fine of up to 120 daily rates (art. 107 § 2).
- Light Casino in Poland
- We serve players who live in Poland under our licence from the Malta Gaming Authority, MGA/B2C/1236/2026. Their accounts are held in złoty (PLN), and the cashier offers BLIK and Przelewy24 among its payment methods.
Finland: state monopoly until 30 June 2027, licences from 1 July 2027
- Who may offer them now
- Until 30 June 2027, a state-owned monopoly company holds the exclusive right to organise gambling in mainland Finland, and only that company may market gambling there, under the Lotteries Act (arpajaislaki). The National Police Board (Poliisihallitus) enforces the marketing ban with prohibitions backed by conditional fines. On 3 September 2025 it announced prohibitions against two social media influencers who marketed foreign gambling companies’ games, each backed by a conditional fine of €30,000, and an order that a third influencer, who had kept marketing despite an earlier prohibition, pay the €30,000 conditional fine set with it.
- What changes in 2027
- Parliament adopted a new Gambling Act on 16 December 2025, and the President approved it on 16 January 2026. Companies have been able to apply for licences since 1 March 2026. Licensed betting, online slot and casino games and online money bingo may start on 1 July 2027, and the first licences take effect that day. The monopoly company keeps its exclusive right to lotteries, scratch cards, and physical slot machines and casino games.
- Who licenses
- The National Police Board handles licence applications until the new system starts. From 1 July 2027, licensing and supervision pass to the Finnish Supervisory Agency (Lupa- ja valvontavirasto).
- If you live in Finland
- The Finnish rules govern who may offer and market gambling. The Ministry of the Interior states that under the reform, winnings from gambling offered to Finland from another EU or EEA country without a Finnish licence will be taxable. Under the reform the minimum age stays 18, all gambling will require identification, and players will be able to self-exclude from all licensed gambling on a single platform.
- Light Casino in Finland
- We serve players who live in Finland under our licence from the Malta Gaming Authority, MGA/B2C/1236/2026. Their accounts are held in euro (EUR), and the cashier offers MobilePay and Finnish bank buttons alongside Trustly.
Hungary: online casino games only for casino concession holders
- Who may offer them
- Under the Gambling Act (Act XXXIV of 1991, Szjtv.), online casino games may be organised only by the concession company that the holder of a concession to run a land-based casino in Hungary has set up or operates for casino games (§ 3(1b)).
- Where to check
- The Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Affairs (Szabályozott Tevékenységek Felügyeleti Hatósága, SZTFH) licenses and supervises gambling. Its public register of licences names each online casino licence holder, its registered seat, how long the licence runs and the websites it covers.
- Blocked websites
- SZTFH has unlicensed gambling websites blocked for 365 days, restricts payments to and from them, and publishes the list of blocked gambling websites.
- If you live in Hungary
- SZTFH tells players that winnings from unlicensed gambling count as taxable personal income and cannot be enforced in court. Operators licensed in Hungary must refuse players listed in the player-protection register (játékosvédelmi nyilvántartás), which a player joins through a significant self-restriction statement lodged with SZTFH (jelentős önkorlátozó nyilatkozat).
- A change to the regulator
- On 31 August 2026 the Government ordered a review of SZTFH and of how it could be abolished, with its tasks passed to bodies the Government directs (Government Resolution 1277/2026 (VIII. 31.)). The Minister of Justice is to report by 30 September 2026. The resolution itself changes nothing yet: SZTFH’s register and blocking list remain the ones that apply, and this section will be reviewed again once the outcome is known.
- Light Casino in Hungary
- We serve players who live in Hungary under our licence from the Malta Gaming Authority, MGA/B2C/1236/2026. Their accounts are held in forint (HUF), and the cashier offers SimplePay and Barion among its payment methods.
Help in these countries
Responsible gamingIf gambling is causing harm to you or to someone close to you, these national lines take calls. Hours are as each service publishes them. The second Hungarian line belongs to the regulator and takes reports and complaints, not calls for help.
| Country | Service | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malta | Supportline 179, run by the Foundation for Social Welfare Services; takes calls about gambling | 179 | 24 hours, free from landlines and mobiles |
| Ireland | Gambling Care Helpline, free | 1800 936 725 | 24 hours, every day |
| Poland | Helpline for behavioural addictions, including gambling | 801 889 880 | Every day, 17:00–22:00 |
| Finland | Peluuri, free and confidential | 0800 100 101 | Monday to Friday, 12:00–18:00 |
| Hungary | ELTE Szerencsejátékos Segélytelefon, free and anonymous | +36 80 980 025 | Weekdays, 15:00–19:00 |
| Hungary | SZTFH player-protection line, free, for reports and complaints only | +36 80 205 352 | 24 hours |
How this page is written and reviewed
Light Casino wrote this page from the official and primary sources listed below, all checked by 14 September 2026. It describes the law in general and is not advice about your own situation. It is updated when the law in one of these countries changes: in Hungary after the review of SZTFH, and in Finland before the new licences take effect on 1 July 2027.
If something here is out of date, write to support@light-casino.biz.
Sources
Malta and Ireland
- Licensee register Malta Gaming Authority. The public register of the licences it has issued.
- Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland to begin issuing licences Government of Ireland. Remote betting licences from 1 July 2026; online casino licences in a later phase.
- Supportline 179 Foundation for Social Welfare Services. The support line 179 and its hours.
- problemgambling.ie The Gambling Care Helpline 1800 936 725 and its hours.
Poland
- System gier hazardowych w Polsce Ministry of Finance. Internet gambling is a state monopoly except betting and promotional lotteries; a state-owned company exercises it.
- Legalny hazard Ministry of Finance, updated 24 August 2026. The state-owned company that runs the legal online casino (slot, card, roulette-type and dice games); the permitted betting operators.
- Rejestr domen służących do oferowania gier hazardowych niezgodnie z ustawą Ministry of Finance. What the register contains; blocking within 48 hours; payment services stop within 30 days.
- Rejestr Domen Ministry of Finance. The register itself.
- Ustawa — Rejestr Domen Ministry of Finance. Text of art. 5(1b), art. 29a and art. 89 of the Gambling Games Act, and art. 107 § 2 of the Fiscal Penal Code.
- Sprawdź legalność gier hazardowych oferowanych w Internecie PUESC, tax administration. How to check whether an online gambling site is legal.
- Uzależnienia behawioralne The helpline 801 889 880 and its hours.
Finland
- Reform of the gambling system Ministry of the Interior. Adoption and approval dates; licence applications from 1 March 2026; licensed services from 1 July 2027; the games that open to licensing and those that stay under the monopoly.
- Questions and answers on gambling system reform Ministry of the Interior. Only the monopoly company may market gambling until the reform; the National Police Board and the Finnish Supervisory Agency; tax on winnings from unlicensed gambling.
- The National Police Board intervened again in the unlawful marketing of gambling by social media influencers National Police Board, 3 September 2025. The Lotteries Act marketing ban and the €30,000 conditional fines.
- Rahapelitoimiluvat kiinnostavat rahapeliyhtiöitä Police of Finland, 8 June 2026. The first licences take effect on 1 July 2027; Lupa- ja valvontavirasto takes over from July 2027.
- Peluuri The helpline 0800 100 101 and its hours.
Hungary
- Online kaszinójáték SZTFH. Only the casino concession company may organise online casino games; what the register publishes.
- 1991. évi XXXIV. törvény a szerencsejáték szervezéséről Nemzeti Jogszabálytár, the official database of Hungarian law; text in force from 1 January 2026. § 3(1b) of the Gambling Act.
- Engedélyek (közhiteles) SZTFH. The public register of gambling licences, updated 8 September 2026.
- Szerencsejátékügyi blokkolt honlapok SZTFH. The list of blocked gambling websites, updated 11 September 2026.
- Játékosi tudnivalók SZTFH. Blocking for 365 days and payment restrictions; winnings from unlicensed gambling are taxable and cannot be enforced in court; the player-protection register.
- Játékosvédelem SZTFH. The player-protection line +36 80 205 352, free, 24 hours, for reports and complaints.
- ELTE Szerencsejátékos Segélytelefon Eötvös Loránd University. The free, anonymous helpline +36 80 980 025, weekdays 15:00–19:00.
- Magyar Közlöny 2026/121 Official Gazette, 31 August 2026. Government Resolution 1277/2026 (VIII. 31.) on the review of SZTFH and the options for abolishing it.
- Supervisory Authority for Regulatory Affairs SZTFH. The authority’s English name.
Written by Light Casino · Last reviewed