Malta Gaming Authority launch new anti-money laundering unit

Malta’s online gambling regulator has unveiled a new anti-money laundering program, part of the regulator’s ongoing efforts to bolster its battered public image.

On Tuesday, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) announced the formation of a new Anti-Money Laundering Supervisory Unit. The move follows Malta’s adoption of the European Union’s Fourth Anti-Money Laundering Directive last December.

The new AML Supervisory Unit is now fully operational and will be conducting on-site and off-site inspections of MGA licensees, some of which will be conducted jointly with Malta’s Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU). The MGA says its AML supervisory plan for 2018 includes a “significant number of on-site visits” to both land-based and online licensees.

While the new AML unit has obviously been in the works for some time, it’s formal debut comes just one day after the MGA launched a probe of its Italian-based online gambling licensees. The probe is a response to this month’s arrest of Italy’s so-called ‘betting king’ and his MGA-licensed operation’s alleged links to Mafia clans.