Commercial Communication Games

A Commercial Communication Game is a licensable game that is organised with the purpose to promote or encourage the sale of goods or services. It does not constitute an economic activity in its own right, and any payments required to be made by the participant serve only to acquire the promoted goods or services and not to participate in the game, although it may be a condition that a person purchases the promoted goods or services in order to participate in the game.

The granting of a permit for a Commercial Communication Game is subject to the following conditions and any other conditions that the Authority may, from time to time, deem expedient:

The goods and/or services which the commercial communication game is meant to promote;
Total number of participants;
Number of prizes which can be won and number of prizes of any one type if more than one type of prize is on offer;
The rules governing who is eligible to participate and the award of prizes;
The date when the results will be announced and the manner in which they are announced;
The time period during which prizes must be collected (not more than one month from the draw date);
Details of prize-winning entries;
The value in monetary terms of the prize or prizes paid out in respect of each commercial communication game;
The method of distribution of the amount due as prizes must be kept by the permit holder or lottery supervisor for inspection by the Authority’s inspector and/or any other person authorised and, or designated for this purpose by the Authority;
Proof that the game was conducted in a fair and honest manner;
Proof that any other requirements established by any other law have also been adhered to;
The measures which were taken to ensure that no minors participated in the game or were otherwise exposed thereto;
That in all pertinent advertisements, the permit holder shall clearly quote the number of the MGA Permit;
That persons in the employ of the permit or persons in any way connected with the game shall not be allowed to participate therein;
A person or entity organising a series of commercial communication games shall not cumulatively exceed one hundred thousand Euro (€100,000) in prizes during any calendar month and not more than five hundred thousand Euro (€500,000) during any calendar year;
Any single event shall not award a prize exceeding fifty thousand Euro (€50,000).

Relevant Fees

The permit holder shall pay the Authority the one-time, non-refundable low-risk games permit application fee for commercial communication games of twenty-five Euros (€25) or 0.5% of the total monetary or retail value of the prize, whichever is the higher amount.

An inspection fee is also applicable when an inspector needs to be present for each draw event. This amounts to a fifteen Euro (€15) inspection fee if the draw shall be held at the MGA Offices, or a twenty-five Euro (€25) inspection fee if the draw shall be held elsewhere. An additional inspection charge of twenty-five Euro (€25) applies for any prizes exceeding the seventy-five (75) prizes threshold.

Applications are to be submitted at least ten (10) days before the commencement of the game, as later applications shall incur a ten Euro (€10) fine, if accepted by the Authority.

Enclosures - Commercial Communication Game

How to Apply

An application for a Commercial Communication Game is to be submitted electronically through the Licensee Portal, where Commercial Communication Game can be selected from the ‘New/Change’ tab.

The application requires the applicant to electronically enclose the following documentation:

Terms & Conditions of the Game

The application also requires the applicant to physically send the following documentation to the Authority:

Copy of the front and back of the ID card of the applicant (if such document has not already been submitted from a previous application, provided that the applicant does not have an updated ID card, in which case submission of the ID card is required)