The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has suspended the gaming licence it previously granted to Arabmillionaire Limited, a UAE-based online lottery, for violating a number of the Authority's rules.
The company's B2C - Gaming Service Licence is suspended as of October 12, which means it will no longer be able to conduct gaming activities, register players, or accept new deposits under the MGA's licence.
Arabmillionaire must still keep and offer access to any registered player accounts, as well as refund any monies that are still active on the site.
The MGA cited five specific provisions that the operator violated. According to the Authority, Arabmillionaire failed to comply with MGA orders, failed to complete its regulatory obligations, failed to discharge financial commitments for its operations, violated the regulator's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing rules, and failed to pay "all amount due to the Authority" in a timely manner.
Arabmillionaire now operates under the Playfooz.com brand, with its suspended MGA licence registration still listed at the bottom of the site.
The MGA's 2021 report stated that the Authority had chosen a gentler approach, issuing fewer licence cancellations and suspensions and instead relying more on administrative penalties and warnings to penalise licence holders.
In 2021, the MGA cancelled seven licences and did not suspend a single licence, compared to 14 cancelled and 11 suspended in 2019.
“Enforcement is crucial for the authority; it helps us fulfil our mandate as a regulator. It is not only a necessary tool in our arsenal to achieve the mandate set out by law, but also essential as a measure of fairness towards licensees that are compliant,” stated the report.
“We ensure that our enforcement processes and procedures are streamlined and effective, with adequate room for adaptation wherever necessary.”
The MGA recently issued a warning to customers about the number of unlawful websites operating in the country, citing 18 domains, many of which were run by the same operator.
By fLEXI tEAM
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