Malta took another step on the way to the destruction of its amusement and limited gaming industry last night, with the passage through its parliament of an amendment bill to its finance regulations.

The industry on the island is currently still trying to come to terms with the exact details of what is taking place, but it is clear that there will be a new and highly damaging tax on all amusement devices on the island. At the same time it is almost certain that ticket and direct-vend redemption games will be totally banned.

Malta recently closed its arcades, citing breaches in the controls on gambling, and the current situation is seen as a further extension of the government’s policy of restricting all automated entertainment devices to casinos.