In 2017, the number of self-exclusion requests in the land-based sector increased by 9%, from 1,277 in 2016 to 1,393.
The programme, which is a legal requirement, is one of the interventions aimed to minimise negative impacts of gambling, and it plays an important role in the recovery process of affected individuals, by allowing gambling addicts to self-exclude themselves from using betting platforms.
Of the 1,393, 52% were for a period of six months, while the remaining were for a duration of one year. During this period, one individual chose to self-bar for an indefinite period
During 2017, Maltese individuals constituted 74% of all self-barred people in land-based outlets (casinos, gaming parlours or bingo halls), with the number rising by 6% since 2015. The self-barring facility was also used by non-Maltese individuals including Italians (4%), Syrians (2%), Bulgarians (2%), Romanians (2%) and Somalis (2%), amongst others.
Over the last three years, the vast majority of self-barred individuals were male, constituting 71% of all self-barred players in 2017, with absolute numbers rising by 13% and 14% respectively in 2016 and 2017.
It is worth noting that since 2015 the gamblers aged between 35-54 are most likely to request self-barring. This needs to be seen in the light of a significant number of players within this age group playing in casinos and gaming parlours.
Remote gaming operators licensed under the MGA framework are also obliged to offer self-exclusion facilities to their customers. During 2017, the total number of self-exclusion requests from remote gaming websites licensed by the MGA amounted to just below 790,000, an increase of 5.3% over the figure recorded for 2016.
910,202 casino visits in 2017
The total number of visits to local casinos stood at 910,202, a minimal increase of 0.6% over 2016, with the highest number of visits coinciding with the peak tourism season, with 96,429, visits reported for the month of August.
Non-Maltese players accounted for 54.3% of casino visits during 2017, an increase of one percentage point over the previous year.
A notable demographic shift took place in the age groupings of visitors to casinos. The year 2017 was characterised by significantly lower visits for customers from younger age groups, compensated by an increase in visitors aged 55 years or more, which more than doubled in 2017 when compared to the previous year. Men continued to constitute over 60% of total visitors to casinos, which generate a total of €17,038,381 in tax.
Visits to gaming parlours rise by 30%
The number of visits to gaming parlours rose by 30.5%, from 432,1779 in 2016 to 564,090 in 2017.
This growth, the MGA report reads, as driven largely by the increased number of new gaming devices and by the introduction of new types of devices in the gaming outlets. The growth of disposable incomes would also have contributed to this increase.
There are currently 52 approved gaming parlours in Malta distributed across 29 localities. The highest number of gaming parlours were located in Birkirkara, Ħamrun, Paola and Valletta, with four outlets each
Visits to gaming parlours were predominantly by Maltese players, constituting 69.5% of all visits registered in 2017. At the same time, visits by non-Maltese customers went up by a significant 84.2% during the year, increasing their share from 21.6% to 30.5% of the total visits.
Contrary to the tendency in casinos, visits to gaming parlours increased mostly for players in younger age categories during 2017. Visits by players within the 18-24 age category doubled while those in the 25-34 age bracket rose by more than 60,000 (65.3%). Operators also reported an increase in visits by players in the 35 and 54 age group which rose by 36.8% year-on-year. On the other hand, visits of players within the older age brackets, between 55-64 and 65+, went down by 9.3% and 12.6% respectively.