Evobet latest to lose Malta licence

Evobet has become the latest gambling company to lose its licence in Malta after the country’s gaming authority cancelled its authorisation due to the operator breaching regulatory payment rules.

In a statement, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) said the decision follows Evobet having been found guilty of breaching article 9 (1) of the authority’s regulations. The ruling refers to an operator failing to comply with one or more regulatory obligations and failing to pay regulatory fees in "a timely manner" to the MGA.

The authority enforced article 10 of the Gaming Compliance and Enforcement Regulations, allowing it to cancel the authorisation of licences if such company is found guilty of breaching regulations.

With Evobet found guilty, the operator, who held a B2C gaming services licence and operated bet11.com, is no longer authorised to carry out any gaming operations, register new players or accept new deposits. It must allow registered players to access their accounts and refund all standing credit funds, plus settle outstanding fees that are owed to the MGA. The operator’s licence termination has been effective as of 16 July 2021.

The cancellation follows two further gaming companies having their licences removed by the MGA for similar charges.

Earlier in August, the MGA announced that it had cancelled the licences for both CZ Trading and Cyberslotz Services Malta, after the due also breached article 9 (1) in relation to failing to discharge financial commitments to the authority, and failure to pay funds owed to the MGA on time.

While in a report published in July, the MGA revealed that it issued 69 warnings, suspended three licenses, cancelled 12 licences and issued 24 penalties between January and December 2020. This was after the authority carried out compliance audits, reviews and investigations on all companies holding a gaming licence in the country.

The licence bans comes at a time of heightened regulatory enforcement across Europe after pandemic-enforced lockdowns caused a rise in online play and a greater risk of problem gambling. For example, the UK is currently in the midst of a review into its 2005 Gambling Act and how it can be tightened, while Germany, and soon to be the Netherlands, launched online gaming albeit with strict regulations in place.

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