Malta has been threatened by leave reports

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) is the single, independent, regulatory body responsible for the governance of all gaming activities in Malta, both online and land-based. MGA has rejected the report that gaming companies on the island had threatened to vacate if the sector was not keep spick and span.

The Investigative Reporting Project Italy – investigating mafia infiltration of the industry as part of the Daphne Project – said it had found a pattern of non-cooperation with Italian prosecutors seeking to freeze the assets of Centurionbet, which operated the Bet1128 brand.

The MGA predicated its objection in a response about the reports that “contain factual inaccuracies, speculation, untruths and a misleading portrayal of the Malta Gaming Authority and the way it operates.”

The MGA also stated that claims that companies had made threats to leave were “completely false” and “solely intended to tarnish the reputation of the Maltese Jurisdiction.”

Last year, a Palermo court issued 26 arrest warrants in the “Game Over” indictment, which uncovered ties between Italian organised crime and Malta’s gaming industry. The MGA started suspending licences of the companies listed and launched its own investigation.

The IRPI reported that Bet1128 relocated to Malta after losing its British licence in 2009 following an anti-mafia initiative. A new entity Centurionbet was set up as a controlling company and the IRPI’s investigation found that police records indicated Francesco Martiradonna, the son of a convicted mafia boss, was in charge behind the scenes.

The Italian authorities asked the Attorney General in Malta to freeze the company’s assets after Martiradonna and more than 100 other suspects were arrested in May 2017 ahead of a trial due to start next month.

According to the IRPI, another request to freeze the assets was made in January and after reporters contacted Maltese authorities, Attorney General Peter Grech told his Italian counterparts that this had been achieved. However, the IRPI stated that no evidence that this had taken place had been passed on.

The MGA denied a lack of cooperation with Italy’s authorities.

“The MGA does not normally receive cooperation requests from Italian authorities other than its counterpart gambling regulator in Italy,” it stated.

“Requests from law enforcement or financial intelligence units are sent to the corresponding authorities in Malta. Naturally, the MGA cooperates and provides any relevant information to the competent authorities when duly requested, or if the MGA deems that such information in its possession needs to be shared with the respective authorities.

The prevention of criminal infiltration is of the utmost importance for the MGA. The MGA ensures that its procedures and resources in the field of due diligence are the best possible, and in fact, many applicants are refused a licence on the basis of failure to meet fitness and propriety standards. Others are detected as part of on-going checks, and the appropriate action is taken immediately. With that said, if detection and prosecution of organised crime were easy, it would not exist in the first place.”

Source: intergameonline.com