The Application Process

Through the enactment of the remote gaming regulations by the Maltese Government, The Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) in Malta has established a rigorous screening and application procedure to ensure that the gaming sector in Malta is well regulated and controlled.

The application process consists of the following procedures:

1) A pre-application meeting is organized by our staff members with the LGA, in the presence of the client. This ensures that the requirements of the authority are understood and satisfied by the client. Through this preliminary meeting the time required for the completion of the application process is reduced.

2) Though the application process, the LGA will seek to assess whether the applicant satisfies the following criteria:-

– The applicant must be fit and proper to conduct such activity. The LGA carries this out not only through the thorough analysis of the information provided by the applicant but also through the consultation with other national and international regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies;

– The business strategy being proposed by the applicant must be technically sound and tested for feasibility. In this regard, our consultancy department will prepare the necessary business plans and cashflow forecasts which will not only meet, but exceed the expectations of the LGA together with reaching the client’s aims and plans for the gaming activity;

– The applicant must holistically adhere to the rules and regulations established by the Maltese remote gaming legislation. In this regard, the LGA will carry out a thorough and detailed analysis of the documentation being presented, the system operating procedures and the controls being proposed together with the rules and the terms and conditions of the games;

– Following the completion of the documentation and the system analysis by the LGA, the applicant is given a 60 day period to have the system implemented on a technical environment in preparation to go live. During this period, the applicant may at any point in time, request that a system audit is carried out by an independent third party, appointed by the LGA.This audit is aimed at testing the technical environment of the system in view of the documentation submitted. In the case that significant differences are identified, the LGA may require the applicant to re-apply. When the applicant satisfies the requirements of the system audit, then the system is certified by the LGA and a license is issued to the applicant for a five year period;

– Compliance audits are carried out thereafter by an external independent third party, appointed by the LGA. These are carried out after the first year and after the third year from the date in which the applicant is granted the license by the authority.

Compliance audits may also be carried out at the discretion of the authority. This is in the case where the applicant implements a gross change in the gaming system or when the LGA suspects that the applicant has deviated from the remote gaming rules and regulations, the operational nature under which the license was granted or where the applicant is suspected of misconduct.

Through our normal procedures within our consultancy and advisory department, we do not only prepare the necessary applications but also guide our clients in the classes and the processes that are required. Furthermore we constantly liaise with the respective authority in order to ensure that the process is as seamless as possible.