MGA releases Licence Surrender guidance note and unauthorised URLs

Shirley Pulis Xerxen November 3, 2023

SiGMA news

MGA releases Licence Surrender guidance note and unauthorised URLs

The MGA has released a new guidance note related to Licence Surrenders. The authority has also issued a list of unauthorised URLs.

Guidance note for Licence surrenders

This guidance note aims to provide Licensees with a clear outline of the requirements and procedures, mainly relating to:

The exact date and time when the authorised person stopped or shall stop accepting new business;
The proposed plan that will be actioned by the Licensee further to the surrender of the Licence which should include a timeline outlining in detail how it will settle outstanding player balances, including funds-in-play and ongoing jackpots;
The reason for which the Licensee has elected to surrender the Licence.

As part of the licence surrender application process, the Licensee must settle any dues to the Authority according to the appropriate regulations and will also have to undergo a data extraction exercise once the licence surrender review is underway.

The Licensee is required to submit the completed ‘Licence – Licence Surrender’ application with at least twenty days’ notice.

The guidance note may be accessed here.

Notice on multiple unauthorised URLs

The MGA has also published a notice on multiple unauthorised URLs, declaring that it has no connection to the following URLs and that any reference to the MGA and/or gaming licence/s said to be issued by the Maltese Authority, is false:

catcasinosx.com;
vkgame11.site;
ob9sg.com;
20winpkr.com;
wuvq4.com;
ey6dmx.com:6002;
hthbet619.com;
w88br.com;
w88kub.com;
fun-88.in/in; and
sbobet.com

Any reference to the MGA and/or gaming licence/s said to be issued by the Maltese Authority, as stated by the above websites is false and misleading.

The MGA reminded consumers not to use services unless they have ascertained that the entity in question is authorised to provide such services by the MGA. The gaming regulatory framework obliges authorised persons to comply with strict legal requirements in the interest of consumers. The MGA stressed that activities of unlicensed entities are unregulated and as such, do not provide the necessary safeguards, making transactions with such entities risky for consumers. A list of MGA-licensed entities is available and can be viewed here.

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