MGA Launches Consultation on Unified Self-Exclusion System

It is official, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) announced that they have started a preliminary market consultation…

…that is necessary in order to gather opinions regarding their plans to launch a unified self-exclusion system in Malta.

Blocking All Access

The regulator already proposed the launch of this system back in May of last year.

But, what does it actually mean to have a unified system?

Well, this unified system would allow players to block their access to all licensed operators in Malta if they wish to exclude themselves. Although the Malta operators are already required to offer gamblers that option when they are self-excluding…

…they still can’t link to databases of other companies.

So, it means that even though a player excludes himself from one operator’s website, he still can gamble on the sites of other licensed operators.

Perks of the Unified System

As the gambling regulator said, such improvements would help to the MGA’s constant aim to have better control over wagering and to prevent potential harms of excessive gambling. A similar method would be established for Malta’s land-based operators as well.

The system would work like this: the player self-excludes from a website, the operator then es his information to all other licensed operators in Malta, and they then block the same person from all of their platforms.

MGA also mentioned that the system might be expanded in the future, and to incorporate operators that are not licensed in Malta as well…

…but that target the nation’s customers by virtue of license in another jurisdictions.

This system might also feature functionality for third-party exclusion as well as operator-imposed exclusion, on the basis of its active duty of care towards its customers. It should also include a central self-exclusion website that would serve as a database for self-exclusion.

Gathering More Opinion

MGA is currently looking for more on the type of technologies that are available for the making of such a system and they are hoping that the final product will be a mix of all solutions and propositions.

The system might be centralized or decentralized, while MGA believes that an online version of its land-based solution is necessary to make sure that all gamblers are protected across all channels.

Self-Exclusion in Malta

In the six-month period calculated back in 2018, the number of self-exclusion requests jumped 19% compared to the same period in the previous year.

When it comes to the remote gaming activities, during the same six-month period, self-exclusion requests were up 31.9%.

So, currently, all industry stakeholders that would participate in MGA’s consultation and share their thoughts on these plans can do so…

…by completing a form on the Maltese Government’s Electronic Public Procurement System.

The regulator will be accepting all those submissions until May 31, 2019. MGA is also in the process of finding tools and means to strengthen the protection of gaming customers.

They have recently published a Player Protection Directive to set out consumer protection controls for licensees, as well as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Directive to set out a formal complaint-handling process.

Source:

“MGA launches consultation on unified self-exclusion system”, igamingbusiness.com, March 22, 2019.