Italian Malta-Licensed Companies Exodus (Update)

By Brian Cullingworth, Last updated Mar 16, 2018

Alleged ties to organised crime uncovered in Malta Gaming Authority investigation

According to a report in Malta Today, three Italian-owned companies have surrendered their Malta-licenses following the Malta Gaming Authority’s termination of one licensee and the suspension of another.

The Maltese Authority embarked on an investigation into Italian-linked or owned licensees following the arrest of alleged Italian mafia kingpin Benedetto Bacchi and the suspension of Phoenix International earlier this year (see previous InfoPowa reports).

The investigation, now closed, has reportedly led to the voluntary termination of the licensees who chose “to avoid scrutiny,” Malta Today reports.

The report lists bookmaker B2875 operating under the Phoenix International license and Leaderbet operating under a license awarded to LB Casino Ltd as having had their licenses cancelled by the Authority, while voluntary withdrawals were recorded as having been received from Betent.com (Betent Group Ltd), Potterbet (Potter Mrc Ltd) and Giodani (Giodani Limited).

Executive Chairman of the MGA, Joseph Cuschieri told Malta Today that the MGA was open to collaborating with the Italian anti-mafia commission to “iron out any concerns or misunderstandings in order to keep gaming free from crime.”

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