UKGC CEO: Compliance by Malta firms “not good enough”
Neil McArthur “disappointed” by high proportion of Maltese firms requiring action plans
Gambling Commission CEO Neil McArthur has taken aim at Malta-based firms targeting the UK market, claiming there is evidence their compliance activities are “not good enough”.
Speaking at an industry conference in Malta, McArthur cited a thematic review of 123 online casino operators conducted in 2018.
Of these operators, 45 were told to submit an action plan to raise standards, while a further 14 were the subject of regulatory investigations.
Seven of these firms have received regulatory penalties while a further five were forced to surrender their UK licences.
McArthur expressed his disappointment that 24 of the firms of the 45 firms which were given action plans were from Malta. Five of the seven firms receiving penalties were also from Malta together with three of the five firms who surrendered their licences.
“Compliance with both the letter and the spirit of regulation is not optional,” McArthur added.
Operators based in Malta now account for over 30% of online GGY, or about one-eighth of the whole GB regulated market.
The figure is up from approximately 10% from 2014.
“The MGA share our concerns about the need to raise standards,” McArthur said.
Elsewhere, the UKGC called for increased collaboration between operators, including a goal to develop a code of conduct for game design by April 2020.
The UKGC also reaffirmed its commitment to acting on credit cards following its consultation earlier this year and said it is looking to gather data concerning online stake limits as well as other methods of reducing harm online.
McArthur closed by asking operators to make a commitment to raise standards and to collaborate with the UKGC to make progress “more quickly”, but affirmed its readiness to take enforcement action if needed.