Malta Gaming Authority warns of unlicensed gambling sites
The Malta Gaming Authority has warned consumers that four gambling sites are operating unlicensed, despite claims otherwise.
The Malta Gaming Authority has issued a warning that the following sites have no legal gambling license in Malta:
“Any reference to the MGA and/or gaming licence/s said to be issued by the Maltese Authority, as stated by the above websites, is false and misleading,” said the MGA in a statement on its website. “The MGA would like to remind consumers not to utilise services provided by an entity unless they have ascertained that the entity in question is authorised to provide such services by the MGA.
“The gaming regulatory framework obliges authorised persons to comply with strict legal requirements in the interest of consumers. The activities of unlicensed entities are unregulated and do not provide the necessary safeguards delineated by virtue of the framework, making transactions with such entities risky for consumers.”
Punishment for unlicensed gambling in Malta
Operators can face steep penalties for offering gambling services without a license in Malta, including fines ranging from €10,000 to €500,000 for initial offences and up to five years’ imprisonment for first-time offenders.
Repeating the offence rapidly increases the penalties, with potential fines of up to €1,000,000 and imprisonment of up to six years for those found to have operated illegally on multiple occasions. The MGA could also seize operators’ assets, including equipment, devices, and money used in or derived from the illegal operations.
The MGA can also place administrative fines on those found guilty, instead of pursuing immediate criminal prosecution, particularly if a settlement is reached outside of court, with these fines reaching up to €500,000 per infringement or up to €5,000 per day for continued non-compliance.
The MGA appears to keep a close eye on unlicensed operators, issuing multiple warnings about a number of sites on two occasions last year.
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