Malta in the focus at inaugural European Gaming Congress (EGC 2018) with Dr. Olga Finkel (Founder of WH Partners)

Ljubljana – 15 August 2018 – Although Malta is recently in the headlines for becoming “The Jurisdiction Of Choice For Blockchain Businesses”, we must not omit the fact a new Gaming Act has come into force starting August 1, 2018.

Approved by Maltese Parliament on 8 March 2018, together with the subsidiary legislation and Authority-issued binding instruments which establish the detailed processes and procedures constituting the holistic regulatory framework for the gaming sector, the Gaming Act came into force after undergoing the EU Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS) process, in line with European Union Directive 2015/1535.

The new framework elevates the jurisdictional profile of Malta from a regulatory perspective by strengthening the MGA’s supervisory role, specifically the Authority’s compliance and enforcement functions to better achieve its regulatory objectives. This is in line with concurrent developments relating to anti-money laundering and combating the funding of terrorism.

The new regulatory framework also empowers the Authority to be more agile in its decision-making, by removing unnecessary regulatory burdens not conducive to the regulatory objectives, whilst simultaneously strengthening supervision and focusing the regulator’s efforts on areas which present a higher risk profile.

Furthermore, the reform enhances consumer protection standards and responsible gaming measures, while promoting a risk-based approach towards regulation. It provides the MGA with wider powers in the fields of compliance and enforcement and establishes objective-oriented standards to encourage innovation and development.

During the inaugural edition of European Gaming Congress, Dr. Olga Finkel will share her insights and expert opinion about the latest developments which are the direct result of the new Gambling Act.

The Maltese market update is part of the “Market updates from Mediterranean Europe” panel discussion which will be presented by Quirino Mancini (Tonucci & Partners), Dr. Olga Finkel (WH Partners), Eduardo Morales-Hermo (iGamingCo & Ficom Leisure), Martin Stofler (OSM Solutions) and will focus on bringing insights into the following markets: France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Malta.

About Dr. Olga Finkel

Dr. Olga Finkel (founder of WH Partners, a Malta-based law firm) has been practising law in the gaming, gambling and technology fields for over 18 years and is a widely regarded as a specialist in this field and a leading internet and e-commerce lawyer, being consistently top-ranked by the Chambers and Partners’ Global Gaming and Gambling legal guide, Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal.

Olga’s specialisation includes regulatory frameworks for real money gambling, skill games and social gaming, blockchain and cryptocurrency regulation, as well as privacy, AML and corporate transactions. In addition to advising a range of gaming companies on regulatory, compliance, strategic and commercial matters, Dr Finkel assisted the Malta Gaming Authority in a complete redesign of the regulatory framework for gaming in Malta, both in land-based and remove verticals.

Olga holds a Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Malta as well as a Master of Science degree in Computer Science and Economics from the Academy of Economics, Kharkov, Ukraine.  She is a member of the International Masters of Gaming Law since 2003 and lectures gaming law at the University of Malta.

Make sure you register your seat in time to benefit of the great lineup of speakers that will share their knowledge for operators and industry connected companies about France, Spain, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Netherlands and Belgium.

The inaugural edition of European Gaming Congress which will be held on the 16^th of October at the Grand Union Hotel in Ljubljana and will bring together industry experts from all over Europe and create a platform which will enable both networking and learning at the highest quality.

You can view the full agenda on the following link.

Full detail about the event can be found on the official website of the event: https://europeangamingcongress.com/

Make sure you grab your seat as the seats are limited to 100 registrants!