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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 NOVEMBER 2015 II Gaming in Malta Preparing for Malta's iGaming news Malta's future in the gaming industry looks bright and with good prospects comes the need for good regulation. JOSEPH CUSCHIERI, executive chairman of the Malta Gaming Authority, talks about what comes next The Malta Gaming Authority has restructured to enable itself to adapt to this dynamic business. What were the major changes you implemented when you started heading the agency? We have put in place a stronger management and gov- ernance structure. The MGA is now split into essentially six directorates namely: Legal & International Affairs, Enforcement, Compliance, Authorisations, Operations (which include HR and IT) & Finance. Furthermore, we have strengthened the Chairman's office to cater for programme management, stakeholder engagement, in- novation, policy and strategy. We have also put in place an Audit Committee, a supervisory council and beefed up our Internal Audit function. Apart from this, we have also engaged more people in enforcement, support services and compliance to address gaps we had in our resources. More information can be accessed at: www.mga.org.mt/ about-us/mga-structure/ Let us look at the turnovers in the gaming sector, what are the direct contributions to the economy and the indirect contributions? The sector contributes around 10% of Malta's Gross Value Added if one had to include the land based sec- tor i.e. national lottery, casinos, gaming parlours and bingo halls. The sector's contributions include gaming and income taxes, direct employment, property rentals & procurement of services e.g. ICT, corporate services, supplies and other services. Furthermore, the sector has an indirect impact on the entertainment industry and other support services the gaming industry procures to run its business. Why do foreign gaming companies seek Malta? Malta has a sophisticated and well-developed ecosys- tem that has built a high level of critical mass that is not easily copied by other jurisdictions. By ecosystem I mean the whole industry and the support services driving it, which are, in my opinion, world class. Apart from that, Malta's regulatory regime is effective and transparent with a regulatory authority that is highly skilled and experi- enced. Malta is in essence a role model for other countries to follow. Other facets of our attraction as a place of establishment include the underlying ICT infrastructure, Mediterranean lifestyle, strong banking system, English speaking population, agility, fiscal regime and skilled workforce. Putting all this together makes Malta the undisputed place of establishment for remote gaming. Our plans are targeted towards making Malta the "Silicon Valley" for remote gaming. Are we selling ourselves cheap? No. We don't sell ourselves cheap and we never should. Malta is a jurisdiction of repute and our success should not be dependent on being a low cost jurisdiction. On the contrary, our unique selling point is the integrity of our jurisdiction and the manner in which we approach our regulatory ethos. Of course, competitiveness is critical but reputation and integrity are priceless. Our success is and should be based on that. How do you promote Malta as a centre for remote gaming? We participate in many gaming events globally where we showcase Malta and its attractiveness as a gam- ing jurisdiction. Furthermore we collaborate closely with practitioners in the field and other stakeholders. We have also built a strong social media and PR presence where we communicate our message and developments in the sector using a variety of channels. have strengthened the Chairman's office to cater for programme management, stakeholder engagement, in- novation, policy and strategy. We have also put in place an Audit Committee, a supervisory council and beefed up our Internal Audit function. Apart from this, we have also engaged more people in enforcement, support services and compliance to address gaps we had in our resources. More information can be accessed at: www.mga.org.mt/ Let us look at the turnovers in the gaming sector, what are the direct contributions to the economy and the indirect The sector contributes around 10% of Malta's Gross Value Added if one had to include the land based sec- tor i.e. national lottery, casinos, gaming parlours and bingo halls. The sector's contributions include gaming and income taxes, direct employment, property rentals & procurement of services e.g. ICT, corporate services, supplies and other services. Furthermore, the sector has an indirect impact on the entertainment industry and other support services the gaming industry procures to run its Why do foreign gaming companies seek Malta? Malta has a sophisticated and well-developed ecosys- tem that has built a high level of critical mass that is not easily copied by other jurisdictions. By ecosystem I mean the whole industry and the support services driving it, which are, in my opinion, world class. Apart from that, Malta's regulatory regime is effective and transparent with a regulatory authority that is highly skilled and experi- Malta is in essence a role model for other countries to follow. Other facets of our attraction as a place of establishment include the underlying ICT infrastructure, Mediterranean lifestyle, strong banking system, English speaking population, agility, fiscal regime and skilled workforce. Putting all this together makes Malta the undisputed place of establishment for remote gaming. Our plans are targeted towards making Malta the "Silicon No. We don't sell ourselves cheap and we never should. Malta is a jurisdiction of repute and our success should not be dependent on being a low cost jurisdiction. On the contrary, our unique selling point is the integrity of our jurisdiction and the manner in which we approach our regulatory ethos. Of course, competitiveness is critical but reputation and integrity are priceless. Our success is How do you promote Malta as a centre for remote gaming? We participate in many gaming events globally where we showcase Malta and its attractiveness as a gam- ing jurisdiction. Furthermore we collaborate closely with practitioners in the field and other stakeholders. We have also built a strong social media and PR presence where we communicate our message and developments in the II Gaming in Malta iGaming news • In 2014 the industry contributed 10 to 12% of GDP, second only to tourism. • There is no other country in Europe that has a sector this successful in terms of GDP. • In 2013 a survey showed that 77% of foreign companies did not find enough Maltese workers with the necessary skills to work in this sector. • Players can reach out to our Player Support Centre for any problems they might be experiencing with an operator, licensed by the Malta Gaming Authority, as well as getting in touch with the Malta Gaming Authority • Malta is the regional training centre for Cisco, IBM, Microsoft and Oracle, meaning there is a high availability of specific skilled labourers in ICT Gambling in Europe EUROPE is very much considered a "single state" in terms of economic significance, and is to some ex- tent governed by legislation passed by the Europe- an Union. The individual countries are still ultimately responsible for passing their own laws. This is true within the gambling industry since there's no legislation or regulation that standardizes betting and gaming throughout Europe. As a result, keeping up with the legalities of gam- bling, particularly online gambling, throughout the continent is quite a challenge. The European market is serviced by many of the leading gambling sites, but what's allowed and what's not can differ quite significantly from one country to another. Upcoming Gaming seminars DECEMBER 2015 Tue 1 Dec Gambling in the UK: growth, regulation and social impact, Central London Wed 2 Dec Betting On Football Awards, Playboy Casino, London Thu 3 Dec Third Annual Tribal Financial Management Symposium, The Westin Resort & Spa, Palm Springs, California Mon 7 Dec Online Gaming Masterclass, The Rembrandt Hotel, London JANUARY 2016 Tue 12 Jan EAG International 2016, Excel London, London, England Wed 20 Jan Fantasy Sports Trade Association (FSTA) 2016 Winter Conference, Bellagio Resort and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Next supplement on Gaming in Malta, 24 January, 2016 For advertising details: phone 21 382741 ext 122 or email Philippa Zammit maltatoday supplements