Meridianbet has acquired “100% control” of Fairbet Ltd to become Malta’s biggest sportsbook operator.
The deal was announced at the close of Friday 30 January by Golden Matrix Group Inc., the Nasdaq-listed parent firm of Meridianbet.
Fairbet has agreed to sell its nine Malta-and-Gozo retail betting points to Meridianbet, expanding the group’s Maltese sportsbook network to twenty stores.
Once concluded, Meridianbet will operate Malta’s largest sportsbook estate, featuring more than 60 sports betting terminals and over 120 slot and gaming machines.
Founded in 2011, Fairbet ceased operating as a standalone brand, with all operations, technology and retail provisions integrated under the Meridianbet identity.
The transaction materially reshapes Malta’s tightly regulated retail betting market, reducing competition to just two operators — Meridianbet and Izibet, the sportsbook arm of Malta’s national lottery operator.
Meridianbet leadership framed the acquisition as a strategic consolidation move in a jurisdiction defined by regulatory scarcity. Malta’s retail betting sector operates under one of Europe’s most restrictive licensing frameworks, overseen by the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), with high capital thresholds and compliance obligations limiting new market entry.
Chief Executive Zoran Milosevic said the deal reinforced the group’s long-term positioning in Malta: “Completing the acquisition of Fairbet strengthens our position in a market where regulatory barriers create inherent scarcity value.
“This transaction enables us to expand our retail infrastructure in Malta, while our technology will now serve the majority of licensed retail gaming in the country. It reflects our strategy of targeting high-barrier markets where limited licensing creates structural competitive advantages.”
Malta has served as a strategic operational hub for Meridianbet since 2008, with the group ranking amongst its earliest licensed betting operators.
Dealmakers view the deal as transformative for Malta positioning an enlarged Meridianbet to capture demand from both local customers and the island’s high-volume tourism economy.
In 2026, parent Golden Matrix positioned Meridianbet as its flagship B2C property. In December, Chairman William Scott told SBC News that the Nasdaq-listed group would push ahead with the next phase of Meridianbet’s international expansion strategy.
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2025 marked Meridianbet’s first full year under GMGI ownership, during which the operator outperformed investor expectations by delivering profitability following its integration into the group.
Scott is also leading the search for a new Golden Matrix chief executive, following the retirement of Brian Goodman in December.
GMGI has repeatedly underlined Meridianbet’s long-term growth potential, highlighting its strong position in the Balkan markets of Serbia and Montenegro amid ongoing regulatory reforms.
Leadership further targets expansion opportunities across under-penetrated South American and African betting markets.
“Meridian had market presence, GMGI had the technology backbone. We’ve now reached the point where the two sides complement rather than compete.” Scott stated
“Year two is where we start to see the real pay-offs,” he says. “The integrations are done, the systems are centralised, and every new dollar of revenue now carries more leverage than before.”
“Year two is where we start to see the real pay-offs,” he says. “The integrations are done, the systems are centralised, and every new dollar of revenue now carries more leverage than before.”