The online gaming industry may be contributing to the Maltese economy but it seems it is also attracting some sharp criticism, which has prompted the Malta Remote Gaming Council to issue a statement on the subject.
It said that a number of people have expressed concerns about the increasing availability of gambling services and the potential dangers that this brings in terms of problem gambling. “Unfortunately a number of comments raised give the impression that the online gaming industry, including that based in Malta, is unregulated and unscrupulous. The subject is often treated with an alarmist tone, treating complex issues superficially without, it seems, to have undertaken sufficient research into the online gaming industry in Malta, its regulation and its participants.”
The council said the online gaming industry is an important and growing contributor to the economy and Malta has done well to attract a substantial number of remote gaming operators. Every operator in Malta already adheres to a strict code of practice laid out in the Remote Gaming regulations governing such operators and the guidelines issued by the regulator, the Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA).
The Malta Standards Authority (MSA), with the participation of the Malta Remote Gaming Council (MRGC) “and other respected entities” has also developed a detailed and comprehensive standards document for the remote gaming industry which will be completed early in 2008, the council said.
It added that a common and pervasive theme in the LGA regulations and MSA standards is that of corporate responsibility in terms of problem gambling and gave some examples that address the specific concerns that are often raised.
Age verification is already undertaken by all gaming operators who invest heavily in the use and development of services and processes that identify underage, vulnerable, problem and criminal players both during registration and ongoing through the life of the relationship with the player; advertising ethics and code of conduct are well defined and deal specifically with avoiding the inappropriate enticement that is often seen to be misleading and unfair.
Self-exclusion and limit management are inherently and coherently in place on all locally regulated online gambling sites, as is the training of customer support staff to identify problem gamblers and manage the exclusion processes and tools available; all operators have clear and visible links to online help services as a standard feature on their websites and many operators deal with specialised responsible gaming agencies in Europe to train their staff to identify and guide players to appropriate help services where problems exist. Many of the operators voluntarily contribute to research and development in problem gambling prevention, detection and treatment.
The council said Malta’s regulatory structure is designed to attract only those online gaming operators that are serious, well managed and responsible persons who undertake to provide safe, fair, secure and controlled operations.
The MRGC is comprised of stakeholders in the online gaming industry in Malta and said that as a focal point for the industry’s participants it would be keen to discuss these matters with any organisation that contributes to the understanding, prevention and treatment of gambling addiction. A project is currently underway by MRGC to further improve the responsible gaming aspect of online gaming operations and it is negotiating with reputable global organisations for advisory services.
The Malta Remote Gaming Council can be contacted through its website www.mrgc.org.mt. email: [email protected]