

Compliance Updates
MGA Provides Information on Updates Made to Audit/Review Process
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has provided information to its Approved Audit Service Providers and current and prospective licensees about the updates made to the Audits section on the Authority’s portal, and the related Audit/Review process.
“The Malta Gaming Authority (the Authority) would like to inform its Approved Audit Service Providers and current and prospective licensees of minor updates made to the Audits section on the Authority’s portal, and the related Audit/Review process. The following information outlines the considerations to be made for the auditing process, and the submission of reports for any of the System Audits, System Reviews and/or Compliance Audits engagements, hereinafter referred to as the ‘Audits’.
“After receiving approval from the Authority, the appointed Service Provider has sixty (60) days to complete System Audits and System Reviews, and ninety (90) days for Compliance Audits. The completed Audit report must be submitted electronically through the Authority’s portal. Should the appointed Service Provider identify any instances of non-compliance during this review period, the licensee should be notified, and the licensee is strongly encouraged to address and rectify any identified issues within their documentation and/or systems throughout the Audit period.
“In such circumstances, the Approved Service Provider must conduct fresh audit checks of the identified non-compliances and appropriately mark such checks within the Audit Report as ‘Resolved at Audit Stage’, if deemed to be compliant. Furthermore, the ‘Partially Compliant’ status can be used if an audit check is found to be partially compliant with the Regulations.
“In view of these changes, the Authority has added two new External Audit Conclusions statuses, these being ‘Resolved at Audit Stage’ and ‘Partially Compliant’, for the Service Providers to be able to report the Audit findings accordingly.
“Should there be any instances of non-compliance which cannot be resolved within the Audit deadline, the licensee may request a one-time extension of the Audit deadline to resolve and re-audit the identified systems and/or documentation issues. The request of such an extension would need to be accompanied by a summary of the issue/s, and a plan of rectification. The extension is at the Authority’s discretion, the time-frame of which shall be determined by the Authority.
“It is important to note that the Authority retains the right to reject an Audit Report if it is unable to arrive at a conclusive review outcome due to a significant number of instances of non-compliance.”
The post MGA Provides Information on Updates Made to Audit/Review Process appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
UKGC Imposes Fine of £375,000 on Football Pools Limited

The UK Gambling Commission (UKGC) has imposed a fine of £375,000 on online gambling business, Football Pools Limited, after a Commission investigation revealed social responsibility and anti-money laundering failures. The breaches were occurred between September 2022 and August 2023.
John Pierce, Commission Director of Enforcement, said: “This case demonstrates that the Licensee’s approach to anti-money laundering risk profiling and monitoring was insufficient, allowing high-risk customers to continue gambling before completing necessary enhanced due diligence checks.
“In addition, the Licensee was over-reliant on financial alerts that whilst preventing significant losses meant it failed to engage in a timely manner with some customers who were potentially experiencing other markers of gambling-related harm such as time spent gambling and high velocity spend.
“While it is recognised that necessary improvements have been made by the Licensee following the completion of the compliance assessment, the Commission will take further action if these standards are not maintained.”
The post UKGC Imposes Fine of £375,000 on Football Pools Limited appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Compliance Updates
Health and Social Care Committee to Hear Evidence on Gambling-related Harms

The Health and Social Care Select Committee will examine the current gambling landscape and the potential for harms caused by developments in gambling products in a one-off oral evidence session on Wednesday 2 April.
In 2023, approximately 25 million people in England gambled, and in the financial year to March 2024 the British gambling industry had a gross gambling yield (GGY) of £15.6 billion.
The Government has said it wants to facilitate a “cultural shift” in the understanding of gambling-related harms to reduce stigma associated with getting help. The session will see MPs probe what is needed to develop an effective public health response to gambling-related harms, and the Government’s role in leading and delivering this work.
As part of their questioning on the public health response to gambling-related harms, MPs will ask witnesses’ views on what role public health teams need to have within wider local authority services to reduce potential for gambling-related harms, and whether they think the current rules sufficiently safeguard children and vulnerable people from gambling-related harms.
In November 2024, the Government announced the introduction of a statutory levy on gambling operators, which will provide, for the first time, a dedicated statutory investment for prevention work. From April 2025, the Gambling Commission will be responsible for collecting and administering the new levy, under the strategic direction of the UK government.
In light of this, the session will see MPs pose questions to witnesses on the commissioning of effective treatment and prevention services in the context of the statutory levy on gambling operators and the role of the Gambling Commission in regulating the industry.
The post Health and Social Care Committee to Hear Evidence on Gambling-related Harms appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
Australia
Changes to Tipping Off Offence Came into Effect in Australia

Businesses and individuals bound by the tipping off offence must now consider whether a disclosure could be expected to prejudice an investigation, under changes to the AML/CTF laws that came into force on March 31.
The changes to the offence, which carries a maximum penalty of around $39,000 or up to 2 years in prison, are now focussed on the harms that could flow from a disclosure.
AUSTRAC CEO, Mr Brendan Thomas, said the change is part of AML/CTF reforms passed late last year to expand and simplify the legislation.
“The previous legislation was almost 20 years old and a lot has changed in that time,” Mr Thomas said.
“AUSTRAC is about to usher in 100,000 new businesses to the regime next year and they too will be subject to the tipping off offence.
“The change to the offence is about balancing intelligence gathering with practicality to ensure we can all get the best outcome – identifying criminal activity and driving money laundering out of legitimate businesses.
“We need businesses to work with us to detect illicit transactions – tipping off risks criminals getting a heads up. Criminals can then take action to hide or disguise their illegal activities. However, we know that effective information sharing within and between businesses helps stop money laundering.”
Businesses and individuals covered by the AML/CTF legislation, including banks, casinos, remitters and money lenders, are now prohibited from disclosing certain information to another person (other than AUSTRAC), only where it would or could reasonably be expected to prejudice an investigation.
“The move to a focus on harms strikes a better balance between protecting law enforcement investigations and allowing industry to collaborate in fighting money laundering, terrorism financing and other serious crimes.”
While the tipping off offence changes from March 31, most of the obligations under the amended AML/CTF Act will not come into effect until 2026, when entities in real estate, accounting, precious stones and metals and digital assets come under AUSTRAC’s remit.
The post Changes to Tipping Off Offence Came into Effect in Australia appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.
-
gaming3 years ago
ODIN by 4Players: Immersive, state-of-the-art in-game audio launches into the next generation of gaming
-
EEG iGaming Directory8 years ago
iSoftBet continues to grow with new release Forest Mania
-
News7 years ago
Softbroke collaborates with Asia Live Tech for the expansion of the service line in the igaming market
-
News6 years ago
Super Bowl LIII: NFL Fans Can Bet on the #1 Sportsbook Review Site Betting-Super-Bowl.com, Providing Free Unbiased and Trusted News, Picks and Predictions
-
iGaming Industry7 years ago
Rick Meitzler appointed to the Indian Gaming Magazine Advisory Board for 2018
-
News6 years ago
REVEALED: Top eSports players set to earn $3.2 million in 2019
-
iGaming Industry7 years ago
French Senator raises Loot Boxes to France’s Gambling Regulator
-
News7 years ago
Exclusive Interview with Miklos Handa (Founder of the email marketing solutions, “MailMike.net”), speaker at Vienna International Gaming Expo 2018