2014 was a year of change for the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) the regulatory body responsible for the governance of all land-based and remote gaming activities in Malta.
“2014 has been a very intensive year for the MGA as we embarked on a wide-ranging transformation process of Malta’s jurisdictional positioning and the Authority’s strategic role within the European and global gaming sphere. Internally, we are reviewing and restructuring the organisation and all our internal processes to become more agile and proactive in the way we carry out our business,” said the Executive Chairman of the Malta Gaming Authority, Joseph Cuschieri. He also stressed that Malta is a role model for other countries due to its experience, diligence and transparency in regulating remote gaming. Mr Cuschieri added that he was pleased to report that the gaming industry in Malta has had another successful year with substantial year on year growth in its portfolio of regulated companies.
The MGA’s 2014 annual report provides a detailed overview of the salient developments during the year under review. Throughout 2014, the Authority’s efforts were dedicated to developing more active and co-operative bilateral relations with other regulatory authorities, corporate rebranding and broad stakeholder engagement. The most important project initiated in 2014, led by the MGA’s legal team, was the review and total overhaul of Malta’s legal and regulatory gaming framework and attendant implementation mechanisms. This should lead to the presentation of draft proposals for Government, aimed at consolidating all legislation under a single framework providing for a consistent, technology-neutral, evidence-based and forward-looking governance of all gaming sectors in Malta.
The Authority in 2014 increased its resource infrastructure mainly to strengthen its enforcement, compliance, player protection and legal functions but also included investments in ICT and business intelligence. For the period 2015 – 2017, the MGA’s strategic plan aims to ensure a high level of integrity, efficiency, consumer protection and value in all gaming products and services across all supply channels. The Authority’s vision is translated into three mutually reinforcing objectives which are:
- Quality, integrity and consumer protection,
- Implementation of a responsive regulatory framework; and
- Proactively looking and identifying new potential markets.
The Authority is facing its future challenges with optimism in order to lead in its core regulatory functions and become the jurisdiction of choice and the global centre of excellence in the remote gaming industry.
The 2014 Annual Report may be downloaded from HERE or a copy may be requested from the Authority.