The object of this Bill is to update the provisions relating to the governance and regulation of gaming services and products from and within Malta, together with all such activities and matters that are ancillary or incidental thereto or connected therewith, for the establishment and functions of the Malta Gaming Authority, and for the repeal, revocation and, or amendment of certain other legislation. As primary legislation, it shall be passed through the Parliamentary process.

The Gaming Act repeals and replaces the current main Acts which regulate gaming, doing away with the separation between the various sectors and instead setting out a single holistic framework which establishes the Malta Gaming Authority and sets out its composition, functions and powers, as well as the regulatory objectives it is meant to achieve and the principles it adheres to. The Act also contains the empowering provisions whereby subsidiary legislation and other instruments setting out the processes and regulatory framework in more detail. It also establishes the procedure for enforcement of breaches giving rise to criminal proceedings, and a procedure whereby an administrator can be nominated by the Authority and appointed by the Court to take charge of an operator’s business when players, employees or the general public are deemed to be endangered by distress which an operator might be undergoing.