Malta & Netherlands team up to thwart illegal online gambling via MoU.
It’s not so easy to dip your toes into any industrial market that’s already saturated, but having an experienced mentor can make it a lot easier. That’s exactly what the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has agreed to be for Netherlands’ Kansspelautoriteit (KSA) after the two signed a Memorandum of Understanding last week.
The KSA is in the process of setting up remote gambling regulations in the Netherlands. As per the terms of the MoU, the MGA will play mentor to the KSA, providing their European neighbours with a wealth of information as to the former’s extensive history as a regulatory authority. Malta is among the world’s most respected jurisdictions when it comes to upholding a legal online gambling framework.
MGA & KSA Team Up to Thwart Illegal Online Gambling
The Maltese government was among the world’s first to launch a regulatory body specifically aimed at remote, online gambling services. Founded in 2001, the MGA is nearing its twentieth anniversary and the only jurisdiction in the world that comes anywhere near the reputability of the United Kingdom’s Gambling Commission. The world’s most respected, white-hat iGaming operators prove their integral values by making every effort to obtain and sustain compliance with both UKGC and MGA licenses.
Considering the UK’s ‘Brexit’ intent, it’s no surprise authorities in the Netherlands chose Malta as their regulatory mentor. The MoU between these two governments will see the two working in tandem to prevent illegal gambling activities in their respective jurisdictions. Together, they will help to implement and enforce reliable player protections, monitor and intervene where necessary to safeguard players from gambling addiction, and to share any relevant information pertaining to policy issues and the activities of illicit operators.
MoU a Milestone for the Cultivation of Legal Online Gambling
This is not the first time the Maltese and Netherlands governments have worked together in protective legal matters; a point quickly addressed by MGA CEO Heathcliff Farrugia, who is looking forward to another successful partnership between their respective iGaming markets.
“Our relationship and cooperation with Kansspelautoriteit has already yielded tangible results in the past,” said Farrugia. “With this MoU, apart from formalising such a relationship, a stronger collaboration at an international level is also ensured.”
Rene Jansen, Chairman of the KSA, is thrilled to have the support and backing of the MGA as their government moves forward with remote gambling regulations. “These MoUs are a solid basis to share knowledge, to cooperate, and to smoothly exchange information,” Jansen said in a press release. “At the same time operators will be receiving a clear signal that hands of regulators will be joined internationally.”
The general consensus is, “the more MoUs, the merrier”. Yet we don’t see these kinds of agreements struck very often. No doubt, illegal online gambling operators would suffer a swift kick in the you-know-what if only more of the world’s top-tier regulatory bodies would share their expertise and knowledge base of illicit operators with everyone else in the global market.
