From Mr A. Alden

I am writing on behalf of the Malta Remote Gaming Council (MRGC) in response to the article “‘Newsweek’ says Malta’s Internet Gambling Regulations are ‘loose’” (TMIS, 7 January).

It is quite obvious that the author of the article had not carried out proper research about the licensing procedure adopted in Malta before writing it. While the taxes may be attractive, it’s not the main reason that on-line gambling operators are flocking to Malta as they can easily go to other jurisdictions where taxes are much lower. Malta is providing credibility to their operation.

In fact, Malta is the only country in the EU to actually have specifically enacted laws regulating remote gaming.

I will not go into the details of the licensing procedure as all the information can be found on the Lotteries and Gaming Authority website (www.lga.org.mt), however I will mention some key controls that make Maltese regulation anything but loose and in fact, are much stricter than most State monopolies.

The Authority takes great care in screening all applicants to ensure that there are no criminal or terrorist elements involved. Operators have to implement their own anti-money laundering procedures.

Every website must contains player protection content such as responsible gaming links, ability to self-exclude and place limits on bets and losses, company contact information, game rules and terms and conditions. Every operator must hold a “client account” with a bank in which the equivalent value of all players’ balances must be deposited.

Finally, the operators systems and operation must be reviewed by companies, accredited by the Authority, before the final full licence is issued.

The author should ask some of the locally licensed operators how “easy” it was for them to obtain and keep a licence in Malta. I am sure that the word “loose” will not be mentioned.

The MRGC Council was set up in 2005. Its membership consists of a large number of stakeholders in the remote gaming industry including licensed operators, data carriers, Internet service providers, lawyers and professional services providers.

The council's main objective is to serve as an ongoing discussion forum giving valuable feedback to the Authority to be able to keep abreast with the latest developments in the industry.

Alan Alden

PR and Communications

Member MRGC

Management Board