Malta Gaming Authority establishes Sports Integrity Unit
New unit will monitor suspicious betting and combat match-fixing
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has created a new Sports Integrity Unit as part of an initiative aimed at combatting match-fixing and the manipulation of sporting competitions.
Its primary role will be to gather intelligence and information relating to suspicious betting and liaise with local and international regulators, law enforcement agencies and operators to investigate instances of fraudulent betting. In addition, the sports integrity unit will liaise with other departments within the MGA to implement policy initiatives to prevent match-fixing.
The MGA has not confirmed what these specific initiatives will be but has said this could encompass requiring licensed operators to report suspicious betting activity by law. As part of its mandate, the sports integrity unit will also be able to sign cooperation agreements with other bodies and organisations within the anti-corruption arena.
Speaking about the formation of the unit, MGA CEO Heathcliff Farrugia said it was vital to the authority’s statutory objective to keep the industry free from fraud. “The MGA is committing to cooperation with stakeholders to the extent permitted by law to act against a pervasive phenomenon that threatens the integrity of both the sports and the betting industries,” Farrugia added.
The new sports integrity unit will be headed up by current MGA senior executive Antonio Zarafa, who has been appointed to the dual role of sports integrity officer.
Zarafa has been at the MGA for four years, occupying various roles within the MGA’s criminal probity screening department. He is also currently pursuing a PhD in Law and Criminology with a focus on gaming-related crime at Sheffield Hallam University.
The announcement is the MGA’s second big policy change in the space of two days, following confirmation of the appointment of a new Commercial Communications Committee.
This new committee, the members of which have still to be confirmed, will be tasked with overseeing new operator-facing advertising standards in areas including responsible gambling and player protection.