Malta Gaming Authority to Open Consultation on Reporting Suspicious Betting Activities

Continuing to play a significant role in protecting the integrity of sport and sports betting, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) announced the establishment of a Sports Integrity Unit in August 2019. In order to come up with practical and more stringent protection measures, the regulator has published a consultation paper that should provide valuable feedback from the stakeholders.

As the document clarifies, all MGA B2C licensees will be required to report any suspicious betting. Before the new measures come into force, a consultation period will be open for the interested parties to share their thoughts and give opinions on the process. The deadline for the submissions to be filed is 15 July.

MGA’s CEO Heathcliff Farrugia commented:

“Participation in sport ought to be based upon the concepts of fairness, fun, sportsmanship, deference, wellbeing, and personal and collective responsibility. To safeguard these values, the notion of integrity must be maintained, and the betting industry is obliged to play an integral part in this endeavour.”

Tackling Suspicious Activities

Rolled out in August last year, the Sports Integrity Unit has multiple roles that cover various aspects of this branch. The gathered intelligence and information related to suspicious betting serve as the liaison with the national platform that is being set up.

It is also linked with local and foreign regulatory authorities…

…law enforcement agencies, betting monitoring systems, sporting bodies, and gaming operators in order to investigate irregular and suspicious betting activity.

It is the Authority’s intention to implement a set of Suspicious Betting Reporting Requirements. These should oblige B2C license holders that offer betting on sporting events to inform the regulator of any event of suspicious betting.

Seeking Feedback from Stakeholders

Before these requirements are brought into force, the MGA is reaching out to stakeholders for feedback on the suggested mechanisms for due consideration.

Via public consultation…

…and in consolidating perspectives of interested parties, the Maltese authority will be able to implement more effective and efficient regulatory processes around suspicious betting in the sports betting sector.

Moreover, the regulator is also interested in starting a dialogue with B2B licensees to consider what their contribution towards sports integrity can look like. This refers to the detection and exchange of information with either B2C licensees, or the Authority itself.

Apart from suspicious activities…

… the document underlines other areas of interest that the Unit shall be dealing with in the near future. Some of the questions featured in the consultation paper include:

• What is considered to be match-fixing in Malta?
• What are the types of liability that apply in Malta?
• Is there a difference between professional and amateur sport?

Also, it addresses the option of participants betting on their own sport, misuse of inside information, and many others.

Source:

“The MGA publishes a Consultation Paper on Suspicious Betting Reporting Requirements & Other Sports Integrity Measures”, mga.org.mt, May 27, 2020.