Eyebrows are being raised at the composition of the Lotteries and Gaming Authority’s (LGA) delegation to last week’s Global Gaming Expo (G2E 2013) industry event in Las Vegas, one the world’s largest gatherings of its kind.

Malta, correctly, participated through the LGA. But what has raised eyebrows among local industry players was that, as opposed to what would be considered an appropriate delegation to such a high calibre event – an LGA delegation made up of expert personnel specialised in the promotion of Malta as a gaming jurisdiction – this newspaper is informed that the LGA conference delegation to the conference did not consist of any member of the LGA’s senior management team or any officer responsible for the promotion of Malta as a jurisdiction.

In fact, the delegation was composed of Rachel Tua (Labour’s equal opportunities officer and an LGA non-executive Board member), the personal secretary to the chairman and three gaming inspectors. One struggles to understand how gaming inspectors – who should actually be inspecting local gaming establishments – were on a delegation to Las Vegas to attend a gaming conference. 

Our information is that the LGA’s full delegation to Las Vegas was as follows:

·        Rachel Tua, LGA Board Member, the Labour Party’s Equal Opportunities Officer, and election candidate     

·        Alexandra Gatt, an ETC Board Member and the niece of the editor of the Labour-leaning l-Orizzont

·        Frances Blenheim, LGA PA to the Chairman, and canvasser for Labour Parliamentary Secretary Edward Zammit Lewis

·        Godwin Borg, an LGA inspector, ex-Special Mobile Unit officer and a canvasser of Labour Parliamentary Secretary Owen Bonnici and;

·        Mariella Galea and Sharlene Maronese, LGA inspectors who, according to sources, are well-known for their pro-Labour political beliefs

Moreover, the LGA’s chairman, Mario Galea, is also the owner of Random Consulting Ltd – a company specialising in advisory services to the gaming industry. At the conference, the LGA’s promotional stand and the stand promoting Random Consulting Ltd were in the same block, rendering the Maltese jurisdiction a laughing stock, according to industry sources, who also claim that, in effect, an employee of the LGA was in some instances even seen manning the Random Consulting stand.