Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/534048
Events 48 maltatoday, Sunday, 28 June 2015 A year of change for Malta's gaming regulator – MGA publishes 2014 annual report Malta BBQ Team in Grillfest, Estonia 2014 was a year of change for the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) the regulatory body responsible for the governance of all land-based and remote gaming activities in Malta. "2014 has been a very intensive year for the MGA as we embarked on a wide-ranging transformation process of Malta's jurisdictional po- sitioning and the Authority's stra- tegic role within the European and global gaming sphere. Internally, we are reviewing and restructuring the organisation and all our inter- nal processes to become more agile and proactive in the way we carry out our business," said the Execu- tive Chairman of the Malta Gam- ing Authority, Joseph Cuschieri. He also stressed that Malta is a role model for other countries due to its experience, diligence and transpar- ency in regulating remote gaming. Mr Cuschieri added that he was pleased to report that the gaming industry in Malta has had another successful year with substantial year on year growth in its portfolio of regulated companies. The MGA's 2014 annual report provides a detailed overview of the salient developments during the year under review. Through- out 2014, the Authority's efforts were dedicated to developing more active and co-operative bilateral relations with other regulatory au- thorities, corporate rebranding and broad stakeholder engagement. The most important project initiated in 2014, led by the MGA's legal team, was the review and total overhaul of Malta's legal and regulatory gaming framework and attendant implementation mechanisms. This should lead to the presentation of draft proposals for Government, aimed at consolidating all legis- lation under a single framework providing for a consistent, technol- ogy-neutral, evidence-based and forward-looking governance of all gaming sectors in Malta. The Authority in 2014 increased its resource infrastructure mainly to strengthen its enforcement, com- pliance, player protection and legal functions but also included invest- ments in ICT and business intelli- gence. For the period 2015 – 2017, the MGA's strategic plan aims to ensure a high level of integrity, ef- ficiency, consumer protection and value in all gaming products and services across all supply channels. The Authority's vision is translated into three mutually reinforcing ob- jectives which are: 1. Quality, integrity and consumer protection, 2. Implementation of a re- sponsive regulatory framework; and 3. Proactively looking and identifying new potential markets. The Authority is facing its future challenges with optimism in order to lead in its core regulatory func- tions and become the jurisdiction of choice and the global centre of excellence in the remote gaming industry. The 2014 Annual Report may be downloaded from HERE or a copy may be requested from the Author- ity. Three members of the Malta Barbecue & Grilling Associa- tion (MBGA) participated in the Good Food Festival – Grillfest with great success. The festival held in Parnu, Estonia, during the second weekend of June, at- tracted nearly 50,000 visitors. The Malta BBQ team was the only one that competed in both the grilling and barbecue catego- ries and was awarded with two runner-up titles. In the grilling competition the team won sec- ond place in the 'Fantasy' cate- gory where teams had a choice to cook any meat of their choice. Malta BBQ Team grilled Mal- tese traditional rabbit marinated in local wine, bay leaves, fresh garlic and lemon. In the barbe- cue competition, another second place title was awarded for the team's original method of cook- ing pork spare ribs in an orange zesty marinade this giving this recipe a subtle Mediterranean touch. Achieving such good results when competing with scores of teams highly experienced in the art of grilling and barbecu- ing made the Maltese team feel proud and honoured. The team was composed of James Mus- cat, Andres Toompere and An- drew Treglown who competed in Grillfest for the first time. In spite of the limitations when participating in such competi- tions overseas, the trio performed very professionally during the fi- nals and managed to impress the judges. The Maltese stand, promoting local produce including beer, wine and Maltese sausages, was perhaps one of the more popular stands. The team members made an extra effort to promote the Maltese islands and distributed hundreds of brochures sponsored by the Malta Tourism Authority. Doubtlessly, the team not only succeeded in the competitions but also managed to promote local cuisine, culture and tradi- tions to thousands of Estonians and foreigners visiting Grillfest. The Malta BBQ & Grilling As- sociation was founded in 2013 and the main objectives are to raise awareness about healthy cooking styles and to teach bar- becue and grilling as a form of culinary art and recreation. MB- GA has recently organised a se- ries of educational seminars with the aim of enticing more people to enjoy the true pleasures of outdoor eating. A number of other educational and social activities are planned for this year. Membership to MB- GA is free and applications are available online through the as- sociation's Facebook page www. facebook.com/MaltaBBQ Third edition of the JA- YE Social Innovation Challenge supported by Microsoft Reducing illiteracy among youths was the central theme that had to be tackled during the third edition of the Social Innovation Challenge, an event hosted by Jun- ior Achievement (Young Enterprise) Malta Foun- dation in collaboration with Microsoft Malta. The one-day event at the Micro- soft Innovation Centre at Skyparks, attracted over 60 students from nine secondary state, church and private schools. The Malta Scouts Association al- so expressed their interest to com- pete, and for the second year their team represented their association. Participants included fifth form students, aged between 15 and 16 years old. This yearly challenge looks at pos- ing a compelling challenge to the participating students addressing societal needs. This year the stu- dents were faced with the challenge of decreasing illiteracy amongst youths. For the third time running, Mi- crosoft Malta hosted this event at the Microsoft Innovation Centre in Skyparks and Microsoft employ- ees also volunteered to mentor the teams. Furthermore the students also utilized Microsoft's resources and technology to present their project to the rest of the partici- pants. The teams were also assisted by their respective teachers as well as by the JA-YE team. The winners of the day's challenge were each giv- en a Windows phone, and a trophy to be kept by the School. "This is possibly the main annual event all of the Microsoft Malta team looks forward to," said Angela Micallef, Citizenship Manager for Microsoft Malta. "At Microsoft we take our Community Affairs very seriously and believe that youths are the key to our future. Such events give us the opportunity to not only support local youths but also to learn from their perspective. In order for our initiatives to be as impactful globally and locally it is imperative for us to do so. Today we mentored the youths through our business experience and also the utilisation of the business tools. On the other hand they inspired us with their creativity and fresh approach to targeting certain soci- etal issues. We are also happy that for the second year AIESEC joined forces with us to support young students through mentoring. See- ing youths giving back to the com- munity from such a young age in- spires us to continue the hard work we do locally." Students were given access to hardware as well as access to the Office 365 platform with which to build their 'solution' and their final presentation. At events such as the JA-YE So- cial Innovation Challenge, students learn the basics in creative think- ing and problem solving, and are encouraged to break away from the constraints of what may be consid- ered as obvious solutions. In the spirit of entrepreneurship, students put into practice JA-YE's principle of "Learning by Doing", to help them develop their interpersonal, as well as problem solving skills and learn to work under tight deadlines. The participating teams came from San Andrea School, St Clare's College, St Gorg Preca College, St Ignatius College, St Margaret College, St Martins College, Savio College, the Scouts Association of Malta and Verdala International School. For more information on JA-YE Malta Foundation email admin@ youngenterprise.org.mt Stay connected and charged on your Emirates journey Emirates customers can now stay fully charged with the launch of 30 wireless charging trays for most smartphones in its First Class and Business Class Lounges in Con- course A, B and C in Dubai. With free Wi-Fi in all Emirates Lounges globally, and on nearly 120 air- craft, customers can also stay con- nected throughout their journey. This new offering is another step in Emirates' strategic plan to offer greater mobility and connectivity to its customers. "Our aspiration is to provide greater comfort for our custom- ers and a hassle-free, seamless travel experience. Mobile devices are an intrinsic part of our lives, and at Emirates we see free Wi-Fi and wireless charging on the go as becoming the norm in the future travel experience," said Moham- med Mattar, Divisional Senior VP Emirates Airport Services. We are working with leading technology providers to launch a broader and more evolved deployment of wire- less charging in our Lounges and look forward to expanding this service for our customers." Placed in highly visible locations around the Lounges, the wireless charging trays can currently be used to charge mobile phone de- vices only, accommodating up to two phones at a time. The charging tray is compatible with Android, Blackberry, as well as iPhones us- ing a cable. Customers can simply place their compatible device on the tray to charge it wirelessly. Free Wi-Fi both in the lounges and onboard, is extremely popular with constant connectivity now an expected standard. Passen- gers on board Emirates also have other ways to stay connected with personal mobile phones services offered on over 75 per cent of the fleet, and in-seat email, telephone and SMS services on every air- craft. With over 120 aircraft also offer- ing Live TV, customers can now stay connected to news as it hap- pens or cheer for their favourite team in real time. Earlier this year, Emirates launched its Apple Watch app and debuted the Emirates App for Android in May. Emirates is ramping up its efforts to enhance its passengers' travel experience through mobile technologies, and these new charging solutions play a crucial role in ensuring seamless connectivity. The Emirates Lounge: - Dedicated lounges for Emirates First Class and Business Class cus- tomers - Skywards Platinum and Gold members can also access the Business Class lounge in Dubai. - Offers its guests an extensive open buffet of gourmet dishes, as well as a complimentary full-bar service including premium wine, spirits and champagne. First Class customers can look forward to a la carte dining prepared in a live kitchen. - Offers services including; a ful- ly equipped business centre with complimentary Wi-Fi connection across the lounge area, TV and reading areas, shower facilities and a prayer room. - Premium customers in Dubai can also avail of the Timeless Spa located in Concourse A and B. - Furnished with Italian marble floors, Gold Rolex clocks, leather armchairs and Walnut wood fin- ish, in line with the worldwide Emirates quality standards. - Emirates now operates 38 dedi- cated lounges around its six-con- tinent network including lounges in Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Birmingham, Brisbane, six loung- es in Dubai, Colombo, Delhi, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Gatwick, London Hea- throw, Los Angeles, Manchester, Milan. Munich, Melbourne, New York - JFK, Paris - Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Rome, San Francis- co, Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, Tokyo - Narita and Zurich. Emirates operates a daily sched- uled flight between Dubai and Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus. For further information and flight schedules, one can visit the site: www.emirates.com/mt