Friday the 31st May 2019 saw the preliminary consultation process in relation to a project dealing directly with a Unified Self-Exclusion System for all MGA Remote Gaming license holders come to a close. This was originally announced in May 2018 and is still widely regarded as an ambitious project being conducted by the Maltese regulatory Authority.
The main purpose behind the preliminary consultation process’ was for the MGA to understand whether possible systems could be implemented in order to continue to safeguard players through player protection tools and mechanisms – which has always been one of the priorities of the MGA.
Self-exclusion is the manner in which a player would be able to exclude themselves from any form of gaming activity for any definite or indefinite time frame. The MGA’s main aim for this project is to allow the possibility for a player to self-exclude from several gaming services and not simply from specific services or casinos falling under the MGA’s remit. This would be controlled through a centralised system and would again avoid players having to access various systems and different locations in order to self-exclude.
This new system is one which is years in the making, and it will go hand in hand with the White Paper to Future Proof Malta’s Gaming Legal Framework and the rehaul of the regulatory framework which took place in the Summer of 2018.
It will be interesting to see how this new project pans out and how it will complement the Player Protection Directive, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Directive, the Gaming Player Protection Regulations, and the Gaming Commercial Communications Regulations.