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The MGA Publishes its 2019 Annual Report and Financial Statements

Published

6 years ago

June 23, 2020

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA/Authority) is publishing its Annual Report and Financial Statements for the financial year ending 31 December 2019, providing an overview of the work performed throughout the year by the Authority. In addition, the report also includes a summary of the performance of the Maltese gaming industry during 2019 and an outlook for the medium-term future.

The following are the key highlights from the Annual Report covering the year 2019:

The Authority cancelled 14 licences and suspended 11. In addition, it issued 20 warnings, 89 Notices of Breach and 23 administrative fines imposed on operators following various regulatory breaches;
89 applications for a gaming licence were received in 2019; 44 applications were either rejected or withdrawn and 53 licences were issued during the period under review, including licences the application for which had been received during the previous year;
15 individuals and companies were deemed not to be up to the Authority’s probity standards by the Fit & Proper Committee, mainly on the basis of mitigating the risks of money laundering or funding of terrorism;
48 audits were conducted by the Compliance and AML function;
69 international cooperation requests were sent by the MGA in 2019, predominantly as part of the criminal probity assessments, with the Authority receiving 58 international co-operation requests;
1,300 criminal probity screening assessments were carried out in 2019;
The Authority revised its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit, and also signed an MOU with the Malta Police Force, aimed at strengthening the fight again corruption and money laundering;
As at the end of December 2019, the number of companies licensed by the MGA, including both online and land-based entities, stood at 294.

In publishing this report, Heathcliff Farrugia, Chief Executive Officer of the Malta Gaming Authority, stated that: “Overall, 2019 was a very challenging but at the same time rewarding year for the MGA. The increased focus on compliance and enforcement which was prevalent throughout the year has yielded tangible results for the Authority.

This focus led to internal restructuring for the better achievement of the MGA’s objectives, and was also pivotal in the Authority’s drive towards the setting up of the Sports Integrity Unit, tasked with increasing the commitment towards the fight against the manipulation of sports competitions. In its first months, this unit has already signed important collaboration agreements with international sport bodies in order to tackle betting-related corruption and ensure the integrity of sports.

Such collaboration, both at a local and international level was high on the agenda in 2019, and will continue being crucial in 2020, as a key determining factor in the ongoing fight against crime, corruption and money laundering.”

Conferences

Digicode to Showcase Products Supporting iGaming Scale at ICE Barcelona 2026

Published

29 minutes ago

January 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

digicode-to-showcase-products-supporting-igaming-scale-at-ice-barcelona-2026

Digicode, a strategic partner to operators navigating scale and complexity in the digital gaming sector, is attending ICE Barcelona 2026 – the global iGaming and betting industry’s flagship event taking place from January 19–21, 2026, at Fira Barcelona Gran Via.

Barcelona marks the beginning of ICE’s 2026 chapter and is already a hub where pivotal next-step decisions are being made on ownership structures, production efficiency, and operating models built for sustainable growth. Digicode will present its product portfolio, developed to support operators at various stages of growth. The company’s solutions are designed to enhance operational efficiency, optimize production processes, and enable greater control over product development and ownership as organisational and technical complexity increases.

“ICE Barcelona presents an ideal platform to speak directly with operators about the hard questions shaping their next stage of growth. Our focus is on addressing real operational constraints and outlining realistic, scalable paths forward. We look forward to demonstrating how Digicode’s products and operating approaches support these objectives,“ said Alex Karichensky, CEO Europe at Digicode.

Digicode’s presence at ICE Barcelona 2026 will feature thought leadership and strategic engagement across the three-day programme. Attendees are encouraged to connect with the team to explore solutions tailored to high-growth environments.

Digicode Leadership Attending ICE Barcelona 2026:

Alex Karichensky, CEO Europe
Ihor Sheiko, Executive General Manager
Igor Zhalii, Senior Product Manager & Game Producer
Meir Shachar, Senior iGaming & Sports Betting Advisor

The post Digicode to Showcase Products Supporting iGaming Scale at ICE Barcelona 2026 appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Blockchain

RPM APPOINTS WEB3 EXPERT STEVE WHYMAN TO LEAD ON BLOCKCHAIN STRATEGY

Published

29 minutes ago

January 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

rpm-appoints-web3-expert-steve-whyman-to-lead-on-blockchain-strategy

RPM, the specialist in retail and online betting and gaming, has announced that it has bolstered its digital markets capabilities with the appointment of Steve Whyman as Director of Web3 & Crypto.

Whyman joins RPM with a mandate to shape the credible adoption of blockchain technology within the global gaming industry, and will assist partners with a unique, high-level consultancy service that helps deliver faster routes to market using decentralised offerings and tokens.

This appointment internalises Steve Whyman’s institutional pedigree, having spent 25 years in senior trading and leadership roles with industry giants including Amundi, Aviva, and BlackRock, while he most recently served as Head of Debt Capital Markets at Fidelity International where he oversaw the $90bn fixed income primary markets portfolio and led the tokenisation of the firm’s money market fund.

With the added, potent combination of Web3 experience as founder and CEO at Fulminata Solutions, a digital capital markets boutique working with Layer-1 blockchains and prominent stablecoins, Whyman is well-positioned to translate digital finance innovations into practical gaming applications for RPM partners.

During his time at Fulminata Solutions, Whyman has established himself as a thought leader in the Web3 space with specific expertise in the Solana ecosystem. He currently serves as a Strategic Advisor to KEEL.FI, the largest allocator on Solana, and his new role will see this knowhow utilised to provide the gaming sector with a more seamless path to new business models, improved transparency, and new sustainable growth opportunities.

Richard Thorp, Founder at RPM, said: “Appointing Steve is a landmark moment for us as we take a major step forward in delivering on Web3’s promise. His background is exceptional. Blending the rigour of institutional finance and a first-rate, hands-on understanding of decentralised markets, we’re hugely confident that our partners will be able to reap the benefits of his expertise in bridging to new product and market opportunities in the space.”

Steve Whyman, RPM’s new Director of Web3 and Crypto, added: “I’m thrilled to join RPM at a pivotal time as the gaming industry moves beyond speculative Web3 trends towards implementing genuine utility. My focus will be on delivering major new value opportunities to clients in digital finance through consulting on various product improvements, such as instant settlement opportunities, smoother payment rails or executing on innovative, tokenised growth models.

“By fostering partnerships between RPM, our clients, and the leading, high-performance Layer-1 blockchains, we have a massive opportunity to build igaming-led systems that improve transparency, operational efficiency, and, critically, improve the bottom line, and working alongside Rich and the team, we’re in a strong position to genuinely lead Web3 gaming innovation from the front.”

The post RPM APPOINTS WEB3 EXPERT STEVE WHYMAN TO LEAD ON BLOCKCHAIN STRATEGY appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Broadway Platform

Zenith integrates OneAPI with SPRIBE’s Broadway Platform to expand content reach

Published

29 minutes ago

January 14, 2026

Wladimir P.

zenith-integrates oneapi with-spribe’s-broadway-platform-to-expand-content-reach

Zenith, a leading B2B ecosystem enabler, has completed a new integration between its award-winning OneAPI and SPRIBE’s Broadway Platform.

The integration enables SPRIBE’s Broadway Platform partners to access a curated selection of providers through a single OneAPI connection, including titles from Zenith’s proprietary ALIZE Studio alongside Zenith’s portfolio of leading slot studios including PG Soft, Pragmatic Play and MarbleX.

As SPRIBE’s proprietary B2B platform, Broadway Platform manages a portfolio of more than 30 online brands and provides full-service technology and content distribution to operators worldwide, alongside an extensive sportsbook and esports offering. With the OneAPI integration, those operators will now gain access to a wider range of content delivered via Zenith’s ecosystem.

This latest partnership significantly expands the distribution footprint for Zenith’s content portfolio, providing Broadway Platform operators with streamlined access to a diverse mix of high-performing slots and locally optimised content.

As part of the agreement, Broadway Platform customers will gain access to titles from Zenith’s in-house ALIZE Studio, which was recently awarded Best Localised Game Content at the SiGMA South Asia Awards. The studio’s narrative-led, market-specific games will now be available to a broader network of operators through Broadway’s Platform.

The deal represents another important step for Zenith in scaling its aggregation ecosystem across emerging markets worldwide.

Vitaliy Smoliarenko, Business Development Manager at Zenith, said: “Integrating our OneAPI with Broadway Platform opens up a significant new distribution route for both our proprietary and partner studios.

“As one of the fast-growing platforms from the world’s biggest Crash Game provider, Broadway Platform allows us to place high-performing, localised content to more operators through a single connection, marking another strong step forward for our aggregation strategy.”

Giorgi Samkharadze, Head at Broadway Platform added: “Zenith’s OneAPI gives us access to a proven aggregation ecosystem built around performance, flexibility and localisation. Adding titles from top-performing providers through a single integration strengthens our content offering and delivers clear commercial value for our operator partners.”

The post Zenith integrates OneAPI with SPRIBE’s Broadway Platform to expand content reach appeared first on Eastern European Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.