MGA has been cleared of any ties to the Italian mafia.

Following the end of preliminary investigations, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) issued a statement stating that the organisation had no ties to Italian mafia figures.

It was stated that accomplices of the Italian mafia used Malta's gaming base to engage in illegal internet gambling and launder money.

Following examinations by Italian authorities, it emerges there was no relationship between these Italian nationals and the MGA despite their alleged ties to Maltese gaming enterprises.

Additionally, it has been proven that none of these Italian mafia individuals had any ties to the ownership structures of MGA-licensed online gaming enterprises.

The MGA issued the following statement: “The authority would like to clarify that there is no connection between the MGA and these individuals, and none of them form any part of the ownership structures of online gaming companies licensed by the MGA.

“The authority confirms that none of these persons are directors, shareholders, ultimate beneficial owners or key persons of any MGA licence-holder.

“The authority is liaising with local and Italian authorities and will continue to monitor any further developments.”

Elsewhere, the MGA has participated in a seminar designed to discuss and combat match-fixing via social media networks.

In addition to the International Olympic Committee and INTERPOL, the MGA attended a conference organised by the Council of Europe and UEFA.

Antonio Abdilla Zerafa, MGA Money Laundering Report Officer and Head of Financial Crime Compliance, stated that it was crucial to attend because the MGA aids law enforcement and sports regulatory agencies with investigations.

He stated, “In this conference, it was nice to see social media platforms also being welcomed into the discussion. I regard this as a milestone as I believe that such platforms have a lot of information that they can bring to the table to help prevent and investigate such crimes.”

By fLEXI tEAM