Compliance in Gaming: Insights from Adriana Minovic

Shirley Pulis Xerxen July 27, 2023

Joseph F Borg talks to Adriana Minovic, Director of Compliance and DPO at Betsson Group during a SiGMA podcast. In this second of a two-part article, the focus is on issues of compliance in the gaming industry.

Compliance in the gaming industry

Compliance has, arguably, become one of the principal pillars of any regulated business. Minovic says that the gambling industry is in a period of transition. “What I see now in gambling, I saw it many years ago in the other industries. This is not surprising because online gambling started to be regulated about 15 years ago, with real enforcement happening in the last four or five years.” Finally, she adds, the industry is adopting the mentality of being regulated.

Furthermore, she predicts that, as in any regulated market, the main operators whose business is large enough, will afford the costs of compliance and burdens of regulations. Smaller businesses, on the other hand, will need to be innovative to survive. Minovic’s words echo findings from a EC study that had established that small businesses (with less than 10 employees) face regulatory compliance costs that are ten times higher than those of large business (with more than 500 employees).

Technology – crucial for compliance success

According to Minovic, due to the complexity of the gambling industry, the role technology plays in compliance is crucial. It is “the key competitive advantage for staying in the market.” It commonly accepted, Minovic says, that it is very difficult to implement compliance requirements and be competitive enough to deliver tailor-made solutions for clients without the implementation of technological solutions that deal with compliance.

Regulation and compliance in Malta

The presenter asked about regulation in Malta and how the Maltese jurisdiction compares to other countries. Minovic says that one of the biggest advantages of operating from Malta is that Maltese regulators adopt open dialogue. She adds that they “proactively seek the views of the industry especially when introducing new measures or changing new measures.”

Minovic thinks that Malta is one of the few jurisdictions where gambling is not stigmatized and is a considered, from a regulatory point of view, as a business like any other. She adds, “that’s how it should be – if we allow gambling, if we create regulatory frameworks, if we give the licenses, we then need to give fair treatment as in any other industry.”

Minovic adds that Maltese regulatory bodies do not hinder technological innovation happening in any industry. The stance adopted is a pragmatic one, where regulators maintain open channels with the industry in order to understand how regulation can become an asset, rather than a hindrance to technological developments and innovation.

Adriana Minovic is the Director of Compliance and DPO (Data Protection Officer) at Betsson Group, a lawyer by profession specialised in various regulatory & compliance issues.