Voluntary Protection Moves Towards Globalization in New MGA Self-exclusion Initiative
Published May 25, 2018 by Lee R
An increasingly unified process of self protection bodes well for the online and land-based gaming industry.
MGA is going proactive in problem gambling prevention among licensees in the Malta jurisdiction.
The Expansion of Self-Exclusion
The Malta Gaming Authority announced plans to launch an ambitious problem gambling prevention project based on a system of self-unified exclusion.
Jurisdiction-Wide List
Required of all Remote Gaming Association licensees, the mechanism is offered to support individuals who acknowledge their problem gambling to voluntarily protect themselves through adding their name to a single self-exclusion list embedded across all RGA-licenced sites.
The voluntary submissions result in automatic exclusion from any gambling activity within the MGA jurisdiction.
Self-exclusion’s Current Form
Licensed remote gaming operators licensed are already required to offer self-exclusion tools to all players; the new MGA plans marks the first unified system applicable to all licensee sites, excluding self listing players from all other MGA-licensed sites as well.
Filling the Gap
The MGA characterizes the prevailing inconsistency as a “gap” in the protection offered within its regulated environment whose solution was a system enabling players to self-exclude across all licenced gaming channels, whether online or land-based.
CEO Speaks
MGA CEO Heathcliff Farrugia called protection of players “the heart of the MGA’s regulatory agenda,” saying the new project “further underlines our resolve to ensure that players have the necessary tools to engage in gaming services responsibly” while expressing his belief “that the unified self-exclusion system will be well received by the industry and consumers alike.”
Expanding Eligibility
The MGA further plans to evaluate the possibility of opening up the system to voluntary participation of operators licenced in other jurisdictions as well unify data protection more faithfully to GDPR policy guidelines.
Examining Solutions
The MGA plans to assess a range of technical solutions for the system as well, including the leveraging of Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) as the ideal platform due to characteristics such as immutability and decentralisation. These findings will subsequently be made available to the public to encourage feedback.
Outlook
The self-exclusion model looks to have the potential to unify all gambling sites in the not so distant future, so that self-reporting problem gamblers will be fully capable of protecting themselves from their addiction, which can serve to unify and enhance the safety of gaming activity across online gaming sites and casino halls worldwide.
