The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has distanced itself from an operator claiming to be linked to the European football teams Juventus and Benfica.
Two URLs for the operator OP7 were among six that the MGA said were acting in a ‘false and misleading’ manner by referring to the regulator on their platforms.
Both of OP7’s sites include the MGA moniker, alongside Curacao Gaming, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) and the crests of Juventus and Benfica.
Although no mention of OP7 can be found on either team’s websites, OP7 Sports did release a video on Instagram that appears to show Juventus players wishing fans a Happy Chinese New Year.
Both sites also state that they have the suitably vague ‘offshore licence NO 16-0025’, but there is no indication of what jurisdiction this is referring to.
Online gambling is expressly prohibited in Mainland China, and the country’s government has previously warned that engaging in gambling ‘leads to a path of no return, including financial ruin, family breakdown, and even death’.
A web of deceit
The other URLs listed by the MGA are ufabet.black, playtok.bet, slotblastcasheu.vip and www.vulkanworld.com.
Ufabet describes itself as a Thai football betting website, but also provides wagering on a range of sports and online casino games.
The platform claims that it is overseen by ‘the internationally recognised Malta Gaming Authority oversees UFABET through its licensing’, but does not include a licence code.
Meanwhile, Playtok is a Philippine site that has borrowed design elements from TikTok. It displays both the Curacao Gaming Authority and MGA logos, but there is no mention of a PAGCOR licence, which would be required to operate in the Philippines.
Vulkan World offers a range of language options, however, the platform’s chat function is in Ukrainian.
Following the licence link takes you to a page that claims that it is registered under Genesis Global Limited and licensed under the MGA licence MGA/B2C/314/2015. However, a search of the MGA’s registry fails to find the code in question.
Genesis Global Limited was previously registered under MGA/CRP/314/2015, but the company’s licence was cancelled in 2024.
Interestingly, the same MGA/B2C/314/2015 code was previously cited by Vavada Ltd, for which the MGA issued a similar warning about in February 2025.
A long-running issue
The use of the MGA name and logo has been a persistent issue for several years now, with the first notice issued by the MGA regarding such a problem dating back to 2006.
Last month, the regulator issued a notice about dragonia-casino.at/ and dragonia-de.de/, adding to similar lists released in January and February.
In each instance, the MGA stated: “The MGA would like to remind consumers not to utilise services provided by an entity unless they have ascertained that the entity in question is authorised to provide such services by the MGA.
“The activities of unlicensed entities are unregulated and do not provide the necessary safeguards delineated by virtue of the framework, making transactions with such entities risky for consumers.”
