Interview: ACTING CEO LGA

A: Based on a number of meetings I have been asked to attend and the numerous phone calls that I receive, I think that I have integrated well into this role. I must say that I perceived the Gaming industry as a placid slow moving one. I was wrong; it is an exciting, dynamic and fast moving industry which I compare to the technological industry which is constantly evolving.

With regards to ‘temporary’, my outlook towards this is that I have been catapulted into this role and I am here now and today and therefore I have a responsibility to do something for the industry, for the authority and ultimately for the country.

A: Malta has acquired a reputation for itself. This is witnessed by the number of operators currently operating from Malta. The country has become over the years a hub for I Gaming throughout Europe. I think that today the challenge is no longer about simply attracting new operators to the island, but in retaining the present operators currently working in the industry, and also in maintaining the reputation, the responsibility and more importantly the responsiveness towards the industry.

A: When there is a change at the helm, this will result in changes being carried down any chain within an organisation. The average age of the LGA’s staff is very young, around 35 and so all the energy and enthusiasm is well founded within the authority. Certain changes have already started such as the augmentation of the workforce. In the past two months, I have recruited two lawyers, technical persons and a financial person. The need to further recruit is still a priority but now the office space is no longer adequate enough for us and the need to relocate has become a top priority for the authority.

I would like to address the current shortfalls of the authority, primarily the current backlog with regards to the application process. I would like to get to the stage that operators submitting applications would know beforehand the duration of such a process.

On a different stream, the current policies and procedures need to be revisited for new technologies and methods of operation, for different types of betting and new gaming products being placed on the market. The possibility of introducing new classes and different forms of licenses needs to be investigated.

A: I think that the gaming industry can be divided into two distinct categories, but for simplicity I categorise them into three. There are the casinos, the land based gaming and the remote gaming. Since I have taken up my seat, I think that I have devoted nearly 95% of my time to remote gaming. I have met numerous operators; I have discussed and understood their concerns. With regards to the land based gaming, there are a number of issues and these are being looked into under the patronage of the Ministry of Finance. We are working very closely with the Ministry in order to address this matter in a responsible and professional manner.

Other priorities I would like to address are issues relating to responsible gaming, player protection and money laundering issues. We are currently considering putting together an awareness campaign since I feel that like this.

A: I wouldn’t call them significant changes, but yes there should be. We need to prepare for the work that lies ahead. We need to be flexible enough to cater for the changes which are taking place out there. By having a solid authority backed up with the right policies and procedures in place, the LGA will be able to offer a better service to all and will carry out the regulatory aspect in a more professional manner. At the end of the day, serious operators have chosen to come to Malta primarily due to the sound regulatory framework offered by this jurisdiction.

A: This exercise is currently underway and we are working very closely with the Ministry on this matter. My personal view is that the need to regulate the VLT issues is long overdue.

A: The fact that we have 230 operators working from Malta is enough to prove that yes working from Malta is possible and rewarding. The climate, low criminality, tax benefits, knowledgeable workforce, sound regulations, are all contributors to why an operator has chosen to allocate his or her business to Malta, besides the fact that we are perceived as the most reputable jurisdiction within the EU.

A: The work currently underway in the regulations is to streamline the present laws dealing primarily with land based casinos. The scope is to have one holistic, technological independent law capable of addressing today’s issues. At this point, I cannot see the correlation between the revision of the regulations and the budget.

They are underway. As you can expect such a task is no mundane task and cannot be taken lightly. The authority, the ministry and the external consultants are all working harmoniously together to achieve the objectives set out primarily by the Ministry.

A: Personally no. At the moment the current backlog of applications has given a bad name to the authority and unfortunately the Maltese jurisdiction as a whole. The current process is laborious and lengthy and at times can be repetitive. I am addressing this issue with a view of solving the applications pending processing as well as in anticipation that this year the LGA will start going through the renewal process of the licenses. My ultimate goal is to offer the operators or rather the prospective license holders a definite time plan on how long an application would take to be processed.

A: Currently there are 305 license holders. This is made up of operators holding a valid letter of intent or an extended letter of intent or the full five year license.

A: There are 124 pending. It is pertinent to point out that since I have been in office, we have issued 50 letters of intent and six licenses out of those mentioned previously.

A: The current exercise of reviewing the legislations is being carried out independently of the remote gaming regulations. The analogy of ‘If it ain’t broken don’t fix it’ is quite appropriate here I think.