Our Structure

Edwina Licari

General Counsel

Edwina Licari is the General Counsel of the MGA responsible for legal affairs, policy, international relations, bilateral relationships with other gaming regulators and relevant entities worldwide relating to the Gaming Industry, together with the relevant EU institutions. Edwina also chairs the Supervisory Council of the MGA which is entrusted to supervise and review the regulatory objectives of the MGA underpinning the regulatory framework in force. Edwina holds a Doctorate in Law from the University of Malta and a Masters in Information Technology and Communications Law from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow.  Having joined the Legal Department of the MGA in 2008, her practice and experience covers the whole spectrum of gaming and betting-related activities (both online and land based), together with International and European gaming-related regulatory and legal affairs. Throughout her career, Edwina has gained working experience in private practice and various directorships in other Government entities. Edwina is a member of the Chamber of Advocates (Malta), as well as of a number of gaming related associations namely, the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF), the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR), the International Masters of Gaming Law (IMGL) and the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA). She is also a regular speaker at international conferences related to gaming and regulatory issues.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

LEGAL AFFAIRS

• Review and drafting of contracts (internal & external)
• Provision of legal advice to the Authority
• Court cases
• Liaison with Attorney General’s office
• Review of legislation and liaison with Ministries and Departments
• Legal analysis and research
• Public consultations
• Policy implementation & development

EU & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

• Preparation of briefing notes and position papers
• Bilateral relationships – Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) and Letters of Intent (LOI), with other regulators and entities
• Liaison with Gaming Representative Bodies e.g. Malta Remote Gaming Council (MRGC), Chamber of Commerce, the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA), Remote Gambling Association (RGA)
• Comparative assessments  and research on EU and  international developments
• Participation in international fora e.g. Expert Group on Gambling Services (EGGS), Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF), International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA), International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR)

Heathcliff Farrugia

Chief Officer - Regulatory

Heathcliff Farrugia is the Chief Officer – Regulatory at the MGA. Heathcliff is responsible for all Regulatory aspects of the Authority, with four teams focusing on Authorisations, Compliance, Regulatory Supervision and Player Support respectively. He also forms part of the Supervisory Council, and co-chairs the Fit & Proper Committee, which is entrusted to assess and determine the fit and properness of the individuals and companies applying for a Malta Gaming Authority licence. Before taking this role, he held the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the MGA, and was also a board member on the Gaming Regulators European Forum (GREF), where he is now a member.  Added to this he is also a member of the International Association of Gaming Regulators (IAGR) and the International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA).

Heathcliff is specialised in business management and operational efficiencies, and holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Leicester. Prior to joining the MGA in 2014, he spent the largest part of his career in the telecoms industry, specifically with Vodafone Malta, where, after some initial years in the Marketing division he moved to the Commercial department where he occupied various managerial positions. Over a period of five years, he held the posts of Indirect Channels Manager, Call Centre Operations Manager, Customer Operations Manager, and Consumer Sales Manager respectively. Mr Farrugia was also appointed Customer Value Management (CVM) Manager for Vodafone Italy in Milan where he was responsible for the overall planning and strategy of the area.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

AUTHORISATIONS

• Management and processing of new applications
• On-boarding of new operators & renewals
• Approval of premises and changes in floor plans for Land Based operators
• Approval & certification of new machines
• Approval of key persons, employees and issuing of HQP’s
• Management and processing of licence applications, renewals, and other related applications
• Processing of surrender, termination or expiration of licences
• Approval of share transfers, licence transfers, intermediaries, shared conducts and technical infrastructures
• Management of the MGA’s “Fit and Proper” process

COMPLIANCE

• Development and implementation of an annual compliance review plan, for both online and land based operators
• Compliance audits review
• Internal compliance reviews (operator checks) on an ongoing basis
• Ensure adherence to licence conditions (follow-up and review)
• Review of games & control systems including policies
• Design and development of the relevant policies and procedures
• Liaise with land based Inspectorate Unit for the performance of offsite compliance checks.

REGULATORY SUPERVISION

• Regulatory Financial Supervision (Player Liability Reports, Financial Accounts)
• Thematic reviews based on risk

PLAYER SUPPORT UNIT

• Player complaints management
• Dispute resolution

Dominic Micallef

Chief Officer - Enforcement

Dr Dominic Micallef is the Chief Officer – Enforcement at the MGA, responsible for both remote and land-based gaming operations. Prior to joining the MGA, Dr Micallef served in the Malta Police Force for 25 years where he worked in several areas such as the anti-riot squad, as a Police Inspector in the Criminal Investigation Department and finally as a Superintendent and head of the police force’s legal department. Dr Micallef holds a BA in Criminology, Doctor of Laws and a Magister Juris in EU and Comparative Law from the University of Malta. At the MGA his main responsibilities include field operations, the overseeing of the due diligence process and Anti-Money Laundering policies and procedures.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

FIELD OPERATIONS

• Inspections in casinos, gaming parlours and other licensed gaming establishments
• Gaming device inspections
• Overseeing the national lottery draws
• Investigations related to illegal gaming activities in conjunction with the Malta Police Force

ENFORCEMENT

• Liaison with local and international law enforcement agencies e.g. Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit (FIAU), Attorney General (AG), Interpol, Police, etc…
• Enforcement action to ensure compliance with licence conditions and regulatory obligations
• Participation in the Task Force on Match Fixing (and related policy development and review)

DUE DILIGENCE

• Conducting Due Diligence assessments in liaison with the regulatory directorate
• Issuing of regular Due Diligence or Enhanced Due Diligence reports with the relevant recommendations

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING

• Single point of contact from AML procedures, both locally and internationally
• Review of licensee AML procedures and controls
• Conducting on-site visits on locally based operators when the need arises
• AML Policy development and review

INVESTIGATIONS

• Special investigations
• Investigations on all land based and remote gaming companies/individuals resulting from information emanating from multiple internal and external sources
• Follow up on intelligence and reports

Andrew Naudi

Chief Officer – Programme Management & Information Systems

Andrew Naudi is the Chief Officer – Programme Management & Information Systems at the MGA. Andrew is specialised in Information Technology, Project Management and delivery. He holds an honours degree in Information Technology (BSc IT) from the University of Malta and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA) specialising in e-Commerce, from the University of Grenoble.

For the last 20 years, Andrew held various roles within the IT industry, specifically with Computime Software Ltd, a local IT services and integration solutions company. Andrew started his career as a software developer and in recent years he was entrusted with the role of Head of the Project Management Office (PMO) and prior to joining the MGA held the role of Chief Operations Officer (at Computime Software Ltd) where he led a number of large scale multi-national project implementations.

At the MGA, Andrew is responsible for risk management, strategic planning, programme delivery and special projects, as well as for the overall knowledge and strategic information management of the Authority. He will also be assisting the Chairman in the efficient coordination of all activities and work streams within the Authority.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Risk analysis & management
• Planning and co-ordination of the MGA’s agenda and relative follow-ups on all actions and projects,
• Leading the strategic and business planning process,
• Developing and implementing a project management structure,
• Effective coordination of technical and professional engagements,
• Establishment and review of Quality Assurance standards across the MGA,
• Special projects,
• Coordinate the implementation of recommended corrective actions derived from quality audits/reviews and other audits performed by the MGA’s internal auditor, external auditors and NAO & IAID,
• Ensure MGA data, systems, processes and deliverables comply with internal policies and procedures and quality standards,
• Conduct and/or review quality audits including reporting and deliverables.

ICT Management

• IT administration
• Systems maintenance & ongoing development
• Technology and infrastructure planning
• IT Security

INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

• New projects & project implementation
• CRM systems
• Management information systems
• Archives, scanning & registry

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

• Research, statistics & information management
• Industry performance reporting
• Surveys and questionnaires
• Document management

Peter Spiteri

Chief Officer - Finance

Peter Spiteri is the Chief Officer – Finance at the MGA. Peter is an ACCA qualified accountant with almost 10 years’ experience in the finance sector. He started his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers where he worked in the Corporate Administration Services department. He then moved to Deutsche Bank (Malta) as Head of Finance, where he was responsible for the overall finance function in Malta. At the MGA, he is responsible for the overall finance function of the Authority namely, revenue assurance, tax compliance, corporate finance, treasury, financial planning and control, management accounts and reporting, as well as procurement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

REVENUE ASSURANCE & TAX COMPLIANCE

• Collection and follow up on gaming taxes due, licence fees and other administrative fees charged to licensees
• Gaming tax compliance and enforcement
• Gaming tax audits
• Review of licensee gaming tax submissions

FINANCE OPERATIONS

• Corporate finance
• Cash flow management
• Financial planning and control
• Financial accounting
• Management accounts & reporting
• Procurement
• Audit
• Liaison with NAO, IAID, MFIN & Audit Committee

Christopher Formosa

Head – Human Resources & Corporate Affairs

Christopher Formosa is the Head – Human Resources & Corporate Affairs at the MGA. In his role Christopher is responsible for the overall management and development of the Human Resources function with a focus on maintaining an employee-oriented, high performance culture which emphasises quality, productivity, and goal attainment including the ongoing training and development of the Authority’s employees. Moreover, Christopher is responsible for facilities management, health & safety and security, all internal and external communications, as well as public and media relations.

Christopher started his career as an Executive Secretary within a local council.  He was then appointed Head of Operations with the CHOGM Malta 2015 Taskforce within the office of the Prime Minister where he was directly involved in the different functions and activities of the Task Force both at planning and execution stage.  He was also selected as the Chairperson of the Commonwealth Youth Forum organising Committee where he was responsible for the coordination of the local team, which involved planning all the logistical arrangements associated with the forum.

Christopher holds a Master of Arts Degree in Public Policy and Management from the University of York.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

• Training & Development
• Recruitment
• Talent management
• Succession planning
• Internal & External Communications
• Public & Media Relations
• Facilities management
• Health & safety
• Security