Last week, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) announced that it is launching a new Licensee Relationship Management System in order to better facilitate communications between existing and prospective licensees and the regulatory body. The system, developed by Microsoft, is designed to simplify the licensing processes and keep them – as much as possible – online via a dedicated web portal.
At the outset, the MGA is launching three online services: applications for remote (read: internet) gaming licenses, dynamic seal URL requests, and submission of players liability and gaming tax reports. Part of the idea here is to allow operators to take control of their licensing and regulatory requirements, rather than have the MGA constantly push requests downstream and wait for a response. Now operators can do things like check on their licenses and keep track of what sorts of deliverables they need to submit (admittedly, I’m presuming this based on deduction and my past life in IT consulting – I haven’t seen the system in action).
“The Malta Gaming Authority is taking another step towards achieving efficiency and innovation in the way it conducts its function as a regulator by applying information technology in regulatory processes,” said the MGA’s Executive Chairman, Joseph Cuschieri, in a press conference. “This project further aids the Authority in providing a top end service to its licensees and practitioners alike. Our main objective remains; that of exceeding the expectations of all our stakeholders at large. This portal goes a long way in achieving that.”
Parliamentary Secretary Silvio Schembri added:
Today, the MGA is launching a new system by which it will be facilitating the communication with clients applying for a gaming licence on our shores. This system will function via an online portal improving the efficiency of the Authority’s regulatory process. This project forms part of the government’s vision for the improvement of our gaming jurisdiction. With similar initiatives, the Authority is excelling in the service given to those wishing to invest in our country, whereby said service always exceeds the expectations of the vast majority of operators.
Frankly, it is a little surprising that a system like this was not put in place until now, but better late than never, as they say. I am also not exactly sure how the Malta Gaming Authority had been doing things, but I can imagine things like phone tag, faxes, and waits in line at a licensing office as possibilities. When I had an addition built on my house nine years ago, one of the subcontractors had to go to a county permitting office several times to take care of some busy work. It seemed like a huge waste of time and it would have been nice if he could have at least submitted plans and scheduled inspector appointments online. I wouldn’t be surprised if the MGA had been working in a similar way.
The next phase of the MGA’s new system is to expand it into land-based gambling operations.
The MGA licenses hundreds of operators. Most nobody has ever heard of, but some of the more recognizable names include Betsson, bwin.party, Evolution Gaming, GTECH, Microgaming, Relax Gaming, and Tain.
