Meridianbet Completes Takeover of Maltese Retail Operator Fairbet

The subsidiary Meridianbet of Las Vegas-based Golden Matrix Group confirms the completion of the acquisition of Fairbet Ltd, a licensed retail gaming and betting operator operating within Malta.

According to a Meridianbet announcement, the transaction transfers 100% ownership of Fairbet to Meridianbet, extending its physical retail footprint throughout Malta and the Gozo regions. The agreement introduces nine retail locations into the Meridianbet portfolio, lifting the total number of storefronts in the Maltese market to 20. Following integration, the combined retail network is expected to operate more than 60 sports betting terminals together with more than 120 slot machines. This expansion increases Meridianbet’s exposure to land-based gaming within a tightly regulated jurisdiction offering limited retail licensing availability.

Meridianbet CEO Zoran Milosevic said the transaction allows expansion of operations and retail infrastructure in Malta using Meridianbet technology systems. Before the acquisition, Meridianbet and Fairbet maintained a technology partnership that has now shifted into full operational control and brand integration. Integration is proceeding immediately, consolidating operations, technology, and retail management under a single corporate structure.

Meridianbet Secures Influence Over the Malta Retail Gaming Market

Malta’s retail gaming market functions under one of Europe’s most restrictive licensing regimes, shaping operational conditions and setting firm limits on access for retail gaming operators. At present, only three operators hold retail gaming licences in the country, including Meridianbet, Izibet, and Fairbet, illustrating the controlled structure of the sector. With Fairbet now fully owned, Meridianbet holds two of the three retail licences issued in the jurisdiction, consolidating its position within the national retail gaming framework. Market supervision is delivered by the Malta Gaming Authority, applying licensing standards, capital thresholds, and compliance requirements that sharply restrict new market entry.

Meridianbet management indicated that the acquisition reinforces its standing in a market shaped by regulatory barriers that generate scarcity value for existing licence holders. Expansion of the retail infrastructure increases Meridianbet’s operational scale in Malta while spreading proprietary technology across most licensed retail gaming outlets operating nationally. The statement confirms the transaction supports a wider strategy centred on acquisitions targeting high-barrier markets under limited licensing frameworks supporting consolidation objectives. Through this acquisition, Meridianbet applies an established approach combining organic growth and selective mergers and acquisitions across regulated environments spanning multiple markets. Beginning in 2008, Malta became the operational base for the company, while Meridianbet kept a licensed presence in the early phases of the country’s regulatory development.