The Malta Gaming Authority will unify its self-exclusion system for problem gamblers across all licensed online gaming sites.
Though Malta requires licensees to have self-exclusion features available for problem gamblers, this is its first move to unify the database for all sites. It follows a unification of self-exclusion systems for land-based casino in the jurisdictions.
“The protection of players is at the heart of the MGA’s regulatory agenda, and this project further underlines our resolve to ensure that players have the necessary tools to engage in gaming services responsibly,” said Heathcliff Farrugia, chief executive officer at the MGA in a press release. “Over the years we have witnessed efforts from gaming operators to implement various responsible gaming measures, and thus we strongly believe that the unified self-exclusion system will be well received by the industry and consumers alike.”
The authority also said it will evaluate the technical issues needed to create a system open to operators licensed in other jurisdictions.
In another story, Bet365 has reportedly finalized plans to relocate its operations to Malta from Gibraltar as soon as the UK exits the European Union next year, the Sunday Times of Malta reported.
The group is expected to relocate some 1,000 employees from its operations in Gibraltar. The Times reported that the owners of Bet365 have already signed a promise of sale agreement to acquire property on the Tigné peninsula in Sliema to serve as the company’s hub of operations. The company is expected to pay about €70 million for the property.
Gibraltar’s Minister for Gambling Albert Isola, however, denied that Bet365 was leaving the British protectorate.
“Bet365 has confirmed directly to us that they remain totally committed to Gibraltar and the entirety of its workforce here,” he told the paper. “They are not leaving Gibraltar by any stretch of the imagination. Neither are they having to choose between us and Malta. What remains true is that Gibraltar remains the jurisdiction of choice for the most reputable gaming companies in the world. Brexit isn’t going to change that.”
