Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Malta Police Force, committing to increased collaboration.
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Malta Police Force, committing to increased collaboration in the fight against illegality in the island’s gambling industry.
Focusing on improving the exchange of information between the gaming industry regulator and national law enforcement, the MoU also commits to collaborative investigations into suspected criminal activity and joint operations covering things like the seizure of assets when required.
Commenting on the MoU the MGA’s chief executive, Heathcliff Farrugia, said:
“Apart from having a closer collaboration, through this MoU, both parties are also agreeing to share their respective knowledge and to formally provide technical training to each other,”
“This agreement is testament to the ongoing efforts of the two entities in continuing their fight against illegal gaming activities in Malta.”
While Malta Police Force commissioner, Lawrence Cutajar, added:
“The signing of this MoU with the MGA is one in a string of initiatives which the Malta Police Force under my charge has embarked upon over the past months aimed at combating criminality in general whilst it goes to show our strong commitment to tackle two of the most challenging crime categories, namely financial and computer-related crime.”
In November 2018, Italian law enforcement, working in cooperation with authorities in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man, Netherlands, Curacao, Serbia, Albania, Spain and Malta busted an online gambling money laundering network, worth an estimated €4.5 billion, which was found to have links to the Maltese online gambling industry.
Since then there has been increasing pressure on the Maltese authorities to clampdown on what many see as a blatant disregard for legal norms. In response, over the last few months the MGA has been getting tough on rogue businesses.
In April the regulator suspended the license of online raffle website Wish Me Luck Ltd, and ordered the company to hand over data and documents. Other enforcement action has been taken against operators including Neptune Entertainment and Triton Gaming – both losing their licenses in March.
