Malta Gaming Authority updates sports betting integrity requirements and controls

The sports betting integrity department of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) announced Thursday the coming into force of new amendments made to its Suspicious Betting Reporting Requirements. Among these changes, now the reporting rules can apply to suppliers as well. 

This modification implies that suppliers related to wagering on sporting events will now have the same obligation as operators to report any suspicious betting activity to the MGA. 

The sports betting integrity department will now inform all licensees of any suspicious betting activity in relation to an event they are promoting, without revealing the source of the information. 

"The Authority has revised the Suspicious Betting Reporting Requirements and commencing from 1 October 2021 the requirements now include licensees that offer a critical gaming supply relating to betting on sports events. This means that now, both licensees that offer a gaming service and/or a critical gaming supply relating to betting on sports events must notify the Authority of any instance relating to suspicious betting", the MGA published in its official website.

The amendments have been made to better monitor suspicious betting activity and do a “more holistic review and evaluation” of the sports betting risks faced by the sector. 

“One of the Malta Gaming Authority’s commitments is to take a proactive approach in managing sports betting integrity with the aim of addressing the threats posed by match-fixing and malicious sports betting”, the MGA said in a statement. 

“In this regard, the Authority’s Sports Betting Integrity department continuously seeks ways of improving monitoring and reporting capabilities across the wider Maltese sports betting sector.”

The move follows changes to Malta’s integrity rules that made suspicious bet reporting mandatory from the start of 2021 for operators.