Malta’s Lotteries and Gaming Authority has entered into a collaborative agreement with FIFA's in-house agency on sport integrity, the FIFA Early Warning System GmbH, with the intention of safeguarding the integrity of football and monitoring sports betting. This important collaboration was welcomed with open arms by the industry, Malta gaming operators and practitioners alike.
This MoU is aimed at greater and closer cooperation in order to do away with the manipulation of sporting events and competitions by gamblers of malintent. Indeed, the LGA together with its licensed gaming operators shall provide the necessary aid and support in order to guarantee the effective workings of the EWS.
The Authority said that this agreement shall ensure that the odds of achieving any unfair winnings will not be experienced in regulated markets, such as that regulated by the LGA.
The Minister of Finance, the Economy and Industry, Mr. Tonio Fenech, stated that this MoU between the LGA and FIFA clearly reflects the importance that the Authority and Maltese legislation give to ensure that gaming is fair and transparent to the players. Mr. Fenech went on to say that apart from Malta’s gaming legislation and strong regulatory regime, Malta also has a specific legal framework to prevent crime, corruption and money laundering in sports. Therefore, this collaborative agreement complements the purpose and sense of the law.
The MoU was signed by the CEO of the LGA, Mr. Reuben Portanier and the CEO of the EWS, Urs Scherrer.
