Compliance Updates

The MGA Issues Interim Performance Report for January – June 2022

Published

3 years ago

January 10, 2023

Reading Time: 3 minutes

The Malta Gaming Authority has released its Interim Performance Report for the period between January to June 2022. A review of the Authority’s accomplishments for the first half of 2022 is provided in the report, together with a description of the Maltese gaming industry’s performance over the same period. The latter provides a medium-term outlook towards the future, as well as an analysis outlining important statistics for the land-based and online gaming industries.

Supervisory Activities

During this period, 16 compliance audits were conducted together with 114 desktop reviews, accompanied by an additional seven AML/CFT compliance examinations that were initiated by the MGA on behalf of the FIAU. Additionally, the Authority issues a warning, cancelled a licence, as well as suspended another authorised entity, following information which emerged from compliance audits, compliance reviews and formal investigations Furthermore, the MGA issued a total of seven administrative penalties as well as two regulatory settlements, with a collective total financial penalty of €85,000.
Enforcement measures were also issued by the FIAU to an additional four licensees, ranging from written reprimands to administrative penalties, with an emphasis on remediation measures, based on the breaches identified during examinations carried out in previous years, including by the MGA. In total, these amounted to just over €386,567.
Based primarily on reducing the risk of money laundering or funding terrorism, the Fit & Proper Committee determined that four individuals and entities did not meet the Authority’s fit and properness criteria, while an additional two applications were rejected by the Supervisory Council.
A total of 626 criminal probity screening checks were undertaken on personnel, shareholders, ultimate beneficial owners, key individuals, employees, and businesses from the land-based and online gambling sectors.
In the first half of the year, 22 interviews with prospective money laundering reporting officers (MLROs) and key persons carrying out the AML/CFT function were carried out, with the aim of determining the knowledge and suitability of each candidate.
A total of six letters of breach were issued by the MGA’s Commercial Communications Committee (S.L. 583.09), out of which five operators were deemed to have violated the Commercial Communications Regulations.
In its efforts to safeguard players and promote responsible gaming, the Authority assisted a total of 2,578 players who requested assistance, covering the majority of the cases received during 2022 and the spillover from 2021.
A total of 22 cases of websites having misleading references to the Authority were investigated, while a total of 13 notices were published on the MGA’s website with the aim of preventing the public from falling victim to such scams. Furthermore, an additional 18 responsible gambling website checks were conducted, and five observation letters were issued.

National and International Cooperation

Between January and June 2022, a total of 122 alerts on suspicious betting were sent to the industry. Following correspondence of these alerts, the Suspicious Betting Reporting Mechanism received a total of 16 new suspicious betting reports.
Enforcement agencies, sports governing bodies, integrity units, and other regulatory authorities made a total of 23 requests for information, specifically in relation to the manipulation of sporting events or violations of sporting regulations. Subsequently, 10 of these requests resulted in the exchange of data. In addition, 278 allegations of suspicious betting from licensees and other interested parties were received.
The Authority participated directly in 12 separate investigations into sports rules violations or manipulation of sporting competitions during the time under review. In addition, the Authority also participated indirectly in another investigation.
The Authority sent 64 requests for international cooperation, the majority of which related to requests for background checks as part of an authorisation process. Furthermore, the Authority received a total of 36 requests for international collaboration from other regulators.
Up to the end of June 2022, a total of 84 official replies were issued, providing feedback on the regulatory good standing of our licensed operators to the relevant authorities asking for this information.
In total, during the first six months of the year, the MGA received just over 100 requests for information from other local regulating authorities and governing bodies.

The MGA will publish a full-year industry performance report during the second half of 2023, when it publishes its Annual Report for the financial year ending 31 December 2022.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission

ProphetX Applauds CFTC’s Proposed Rulemaking on Prediction Markets

Published

2 hours ago

June 15, 2026

GamingAmericas.com

prophetx-applauds-cftc’s-proposed-rulemaking-on-prediction-markets

ProphetX, America’s first sports-native prediction market, applauded the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) proposed rulemaking on event contracts, calling it a landmark step toward establishing clear, workable federal standards for the prediction market industry.

“ProphetX applauds CFTC Chairman Selig for his leadership in bringing regulatory certainty to America’s prediction market ecosystem. Today’s proposed rulemaking is a landmark first step toward establishing workable federal standards that encourage innovation and put consumer protection at the center of this emerging market,” said ProphetX Co-Founder and CEO Dean Sisun.

In April, ProphetX sent a letter to the CFTC in response to the Commission’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on Prediction Markets. In the letter, ProphetX welcomed and supported the Commission’s efforts to establish a clear, durable federal regulatory framework for sports event contracts and the broader prediction markets industry. ProphetX urged the Commission to, for the first time, utilize its express statutory authority under Section 4(c) of the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) to establish a conditions-based framework for the listing of sports event contracts, with Section 4(c) providing a durable and direct basis for federal preemption of conflicting state gaming laws.

In November 2025, ProphetX announced that it filed applications with the CFTC to register as a Designated Contract Market (DCM) and a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO). Upon approval, ProphetX would become the first regulated exchange and clearinghouse in the US built specifically for sports-based event contracts, which will serve as the foundation for an evolving event contracts platform.

The post ProphetX Applauds CFTC’s Proposed Rulemaking on Prediction Markets appeared first on Americas iGaming & Sports Betting News.

Compliance Updates

NOVOMATIC Becomes the First Gaming Technology Company to Earn the ISO 20671 “Certified Brand” Status

Published

3 days ago

June 12, 2026

Wladimir P.

The NOVOMATIC brand has successfully achieved certification in accordance with the international ISO 20671 standard, “Brand Evaluation – Principles and Fundamentals,” and has been awarded the prestigious “Certified Brand” seal. This makes NOVOMATIC the first gaming technology company worldwide whose brand has been comprehensively appraised on the basis of this internationally standardized evaluation model.

The certification process is based on a structured and transparent assessment framework that evaluates brand strength and long-term development potential. In line with ISO standards, key aspects of NOVOMATIC’s corporate and brand management in Austria were analysed, including innovation capability, quality standards, service orientation, market performance and the brand’s impact on customers, partners and stakeholders. The assessment also covered brand protection and market and trend analyses, as well as transparent reporting and governance processes.

“Our brand stands for clear standards and the highest level of quality. As the first gaming technology company worldwide with an ISO 20671-certified brand, we are setting a new benchmark for future-oriented brand management and reaffirming our commitment to shaping the gaming industry through innovation, quality, and sustainable brand development,” said Stefan Krenn, Member of the Executive Board of NOVOMATIC AG.

The certificate was presented during the International NOVOMATIC Marketing & Communications Summit, which was hosted this year by the NOVOMATIC subsidiary LÖWEN ENTERTAINMENT in Bingen, Germany. The event brought together marketing and communications experts from more than 30 countries and provided the ideal setting to celebrate this significant acknowledgement of NOVOMATIC’s brand management excellence.

The post NOVOMATIC Becomes the First Gaming Technology Company to Earn the ISO 20671 “Certified Brand” Status appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.

Compliance Updates

European Standard on Markers of Harm Now Published – EGBA Members Commit to Alignment

Published

3 days ago

June 12, 2026

Wladimir P.

european-standard-on-markers-of-harm-now-published-–-egba-members-commit-to-alignment

The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) welcomes the publication of the European standard on markers of harm in gambling (EN 18144), on 31 May 2026, through the national standardisation bodies of the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). EGBA and its members support the standard as an important voluntary baseline for identifying risky gambling behaviour, and its members are committed to aligning their player protection frameworks with the standard across Europe.

The standard establishes a strong baseline for consumer protection across Europe, identifying nine core behavioural markers that operators can use to recognise risky gambling patterns before they escalate:

changes in stake volume or frequency.
speed or intensity of play.
deposit frequency, size, or failed deposits.
withdrawals and cancelled withdrawals.
player-initiated contact.
gambling session duration or time-of-day play.
use of multiple products.
net losses or loss trajectories over time.
changes to safety tools such as limits and self-exclusion.

EGBA proposed this initiative to CEN in 2022 and actively participated in its development alongside operators, national authorities, academics, and other harm prevention stakeholders. The resulting standard – the first of its kind in the gambling industry – is grounded in the latest research and received overwhelming approval from national standardisation bodies in October 2025.

EGBA members are already putting the standard into practice in Europe:

• Most members already monitor all nine behavioural indicators, with many having embedded them across all their operations.

• Members apply risk-scoring models to continuously assess player behaviour and flag emerging risk patterns.

• Members are committed to progressive alignment with the standard across all their operations.

“This is an important milestone for player protection in Europe. When widely adopted, this voluntary standard will lead to earlier identification of risky play and, ultimately, better protection for players. Our members are ahead of the curve on implementation – they are already applying many aspects of the standard and are committed to alignment across their European operations. We encourage other operators to adopt the standard and help raise the bar on player protection across Europe,“ said Maarten Haijer, Secretary General of EGBA.

As a voluntary tool, the standard complements existing national regulatory frameworks across Europe. In some jurisdictions, certain markers may not be applicable where they conflict with national law, and implementation will reflect the regulatory realities of each market. EGBA remains committed to supporting its members and the wider industry to drive implementation of the standard across Europe.

The standard (EN 18144) is now available for purchase from national standardisation bodies across Europe.

The post European Standard on Markers of Harm Now Published – EGBA Members Commit to Alignment appeared first on EE Gaming | Global iGaming & Tech Intelligence Hub.