MGA wants to do more to protect players

The Malta Gaming Authority is prepared to do more to protect players at casinos who hold a license from the regulator, as part of a new closed consultation that is running through October 14, based on internal research and operator input. In order to improve on existing standards, the watchdog needs more feedback from actual participants in gambling. This is why, the MGA is looking to amend the existing Player Protection Directive, but changes must be carried out based on existing evidence.

The MGA agrees with that and has outlined a strategy to continuously improve player protection measures moving forward. The regulator is similarly looking to publish a guide that operators and licensees will need to carefully observe when made available. But before anything is committed to paper and law, the MGA wants to make sure that it has sufficient input. It has already distributed an initial list of proposals to licensees.

These proposals are based on internal research carried out by the regulator in collaboration with experts in the industry. So far, the watchdog has put down five markers of harm that must be factored in by operators whopossess licenses and wish to adhere to the highest standards of responsible gambling, which in turn is what makes access to an MGA license possible.

The Authority is looking into additional trainingofmembersofstaff at operators and adding more clarifications on how real money gambling ought to be executed in terms of whatconsequences there are for players and the way they spend. Any changes that could soon be put forward are already being based on some research that the MGA has made. However, the

That is why the regulator is issuing a call for action from operators to share their feedback on the existing proposals through closed consultations. Licensees have until the deadline to submit their responses and they are urged to do so as a gesture of their commitment to responsible gambling.

Submitting feedback can be further beneficial to operators as they will have an actual say in what MGA considers doing next. Not only that, but operators can also begin to prepare for adjusting their offers, so they are not caught by surprise if the MGA simply moves to implement changes without consulting the industry first. Last month, the MGA also published its financial statement in which it said that the industry had been recovering well.

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