New Maltese LGA Chief Says the Industry is Growing

Just nine months ago a new chief executive officer was installed in Malta's online gambling licensing and regulatory body. The Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) of Malta has a sterling reputation as one of the most respected jurisdictions in the world. Reuben Portanier says it has 335 gambling operations in it's portfolio that is continually growing. The Sunday Times newspaper recently was granted an in depth interview with the new CEO who thus far has maintained a presence generally below the radar of media attention. 

In the interview Portainier took the opportunity to sell the jurisdiction and to mention that fourteen members of it's 52 strong staff, which includes certifiers, auditors, and legal experts will be present at the upcoming IGE and ICEi conferences coming soon to London U.K. He also mentioned that despite a slow down in the economy Malta's online gambling industry still looks strong and enjoys a positive outlook. Two hundred and fifty operators of online gambling establishments own the three hundred and thirty five granted licences representing as much as 19 million euros in gaming revenues for Malta which has increased from 15.9 million euros the previous year. This upward trend is expected to continue Portainier explained. This will be the seventh time that the LGA will participate in the ICEi event pointing out that at least half of the entire exhibition space will be occupied by the companies that are licensed in the Maltese jurisdiction.

Portanier also pointed out in the article, "Maltese audit firms, real estate agents, telecommunication providers, law firms and other operators will attend. International participants will include the industry's top operators, regulators, and service providers, The entire i-gaming ecosystem will be present under one roof; delegates are able to visit several jurisdictions without having to travel extensively.
It is important that operators seeking to establish their business in Malta have full visibility of what the local business environment is like. They usually seek information about the tax regime and business friendliness; 95 percent of the queries are technical or legal, but others focus on issues like property prices and the crime rate."