Malta is Cleaning Up its Regulation Model

Pioneer jurisdiction Malta is updating its responsible gambling rules.

The Session

The news that Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is preparing to introduce “detailed player protection guidelines for licensees” is based on the new opening of a consultation on the subject.

New Categories to Address

The closed consultation took place last week introducing five new broad categories of harm that licensees will be responsible for honoring and maintaining compliance with.

MGA Review

The MGA defines the session as a review of “licensees’ obligations regarding their responsible gaming policies and procedures and the introduction of five markers of harm that must be considered by licensees when determining effective measures and processes to detect and address problem gambling”.

Expert Consultation

The new session comes on the heels of an expert review of existing player protection directives, combined with MGA research and the work of its Responsible Gaming Unit.

Licencee Response Window

The consultation has not been made public yet, pending an MGA licensee response period which extends until October 14th. Responses to proposals will be recorded and integrated as amendments to the Malta Player Protection Directive.

Tightening Procedures

The MGA re-emphasised the procedural requirement of licensees to draw up an agreed-upon procedures report detailing further protocols for holding player funds and
maximum projected winnings.

MGA’s Work This Year

The MGA model is so far effective, and the MGA is proactively improving upon it. In its annual report published last month, MGA revealed only seven licences had been canceled in 2021, with no licenses suspended. This was a strong improvement over 2020s 14 cancellations and three penalties.
Penalties Moderation
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MGA seems to have found a common ground by issuing more penalties during 2021, giving operators a chance to learn and adapt.

Coming In Line for 2021

It has not been fully smooth sailing for the MGA. The jurisdiction was placed on the Financial Action Task Force FATF grey list for gaming jurisdictions deemed vulnerable to deficiencies in certain money laundering controls, a list which MGA was removed from in 2021 in a big win.

Malta’s Internal Clean-up

Within the space of a year, Malta was able to effectively fulfill an action plan presented to them by the FATF for improving practices.

Points Addressed

The points include emphasising the value of keeping effective owner information, accompanied by directives regarding enhancement and definition of the role of Malta’s Financial Intelligence Unit.

Outlook

The renewed vigilance to get off the grey list has spurred a proactive response in Malta which should pervade the entire industry and make all gaming and registration processes safer for licensees and players.