The Maltese authorities have moved quickly to reconfirm their dedication to combating alleged organised crime, which has seen it suspend licences of operators against whom the Italian police have brought charges.
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A series of raids in Italy on the premises of operators, some of whom are licensed in Malta, hit the headlines last week. The Mediterranean island state has been licensing i-gaming operators since 2004 and reconfirmed this week that it will “properly vet licence applicants and that quick action is taken when foul play is identified.”
Malta Gaming said in a statement: “The fact that we acted swiftly to suspend the licences of those operators against whom Italian authorities have brought some very serious charges, is a clear message that illegality and abuse will not be tolerated and that Malta expects the highest levels of compliance from operators licensed here.”
It continued: “We understand that investigations are still under way, which we hope will shed more light on the facts and which will help regulators and law enforcement agencies now and in the future. Like any organisation which experiences exponential growth within a short period of time, all relevant stakeholders and authorities which today serve the i-gaming sector in Malta must evolve and adapt to the challenges such growth brings about.”
