NEWS | Wednesday, 11 June 2008

LGA responds to BT story on ‘tightening of e-gaming licences’

The Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) has reacted to an article “LGA introduces tougher regulations for new e-gaming licenses”, which was published in the May 21 edition of Business Today.
In the report, Business Today had quoted an article which had appeared in the Italian press claiming that the LGA had taken the decision to tighten up the rules for online gaming sites licensed in Malta.
Asked for his reaction, LGA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mario Galea said: “The article was an interview for Italian junket players at local casino on land based business in Malta. This particular casino is preparing to add a new form of gaming which allows real live tables to be played over the Internet.
“The rules of such tables are different from normal electronic games and are generally tighter since they involve more human interaction with the game,” he told Business Today.
Asked to confirm whether the LGA had taken the decision to tighten up the rules for new online gaming sites licensed in Malta, Galea explained there are two different legal forms to regulate the gaming sector.
“Regulations are statutory and cannot be changed unless by the powers of the Minister. On the other hand rules depend on the type of game and therefore are different for all games,” he told Business Today.
Asked whether this meant that the current licensing regime was insufficient, Galea said: “Our licensing process is outlined in the regulations and that has not changed, and will not change.
“Furthermore the article in question did not say that we have changed our regulations (which in Italian is ‘legge’) but tightened our rules (‘regole’ in Italian).”
Elaborating on the new rules that have been introduced in this respect by the LGA, Galea explained: “Live gaming requires player to dealer interaction. It is possible for the dealer and the player to take advantage of technology defects to cheat during a game.
“In this respect the authority ensures there are sufficient control points in order to deter fraudulent activity and that an audit trail is kept at every aspect of the game,” he said.
The new rules on live gaming were introduced 18 months ago, Galea added.