Sports Integrity

The MGA’s Sports Integrity Unit was founded on 29 August 2019. This unit was established as an effort towards increasing the focus and resources aimed at the fight against the manipulation of sports competitions.

The Sports Integrity Unit’s role consists of the gathering of intelligence and information relating to suspicious betting and serves as a liaison with local and foreign regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies, betting monitoring systems, sporting bodies and gaming operators in order to investigate irregular and suspicious betting activity.

Furthermore, the Unit also liaises with other Directorates within the MGA to implement various policy initiatives, such as:

  1. bringing into force the provisions at law relating to the reporting of suspicious betting activity by gaming operators to the MGA; and

  2. signing agreements and deepening collaboration with entities having similar objectives and otherwise establishing a culture of cooperation amongst industry stakeholders to tackle the worldwide problem of corruption in sports.

The MGA has various data-sharing-agreements in place with regards to sport governing bodies and other platforms whose functions include the detection of suspicious betting activities, in order to be able to share  information,  including  any  relevant personal data. At present, the MGA has standing agreements with the following entities:

 

 

Click here to access News Updates related to the MGA’s Sports Integrity Unit.

RESOURCES

The Authority may in certain circumstances request its licensees to provide it with information subject to a set deadline and in accordance to its regulatory virtue set out in article 7(2)(d) of the Gaming Act (Cap. 583 of the Laws of Malta).

Such a request will be corresponded formally and via email.

In these instances, the Authority may be interested in knowing which authorised persons offered bets on a sporting event whilst also detailing out the information required.

In such cases, disclosure to the Authority is necessary for the prevention or detection of crime and is necessary for reasons of substantial public interest.

Where necessary, the exchange of information must be carried out without tipping off, so as not to prejudice any ongoing investigation. In doing so, the operator’s systems should be designed in such a way as to ensure compliance with relevant data protection legislation.

The Authority may in certain circumstances share any relevant personal data in its possession with local and, or foreign regulators entrusted with the governance and regulation of a particular sector, when such transfer of data is (i) considered by the  Authority as  a necessary measure in the public interest, and (ii) necessary for the process  of  detecting,  preventing  and  investigating  activities constituting  a  criminal  offence  in  Malta,  or  in  accordance  with Maltese  law,  and  the  law  of  the  country of  the  relevant  foreign regulator. The Authority is empowered to do so in accordance to article 8(2) of the Gaming Act (Cap. 583 of the Laws of Malta). The Authority is also legally obliged to share information with competent law enforcement agencies, such has the FIAU and the Malta Police.

Provided that the public interest requirement shall be deemed ipso jure satisfied where the transfer of data is required in relation to the process of detecting, preventing and investigating activities relating to any of the following offences:

  1. money laundering;
  2. terrorist financing;
  3. fraud, identity theft and misappropriation of funds;
  4. computer misuse; and
  5. manipulation of sports competitions:

Provided  further  that  for  the  purposes  of  detecting, preventing and investigating the manipulation of sports competitions, the Authority may also share  information,  including  any  relevant personal data, with sport governing bodies and other platforms whose function includes the detection of suspicious betting activities and, or are  responsible  to  take  action  to  prevent  such  manipulation  of sports competitions from taking place, and with whom the Authority has  signed  a data sharing  agreement: Provided further that all processing operations shall be in accordance with the applicable data protection legislation. The Authority is empowered to do so in accordance to article 8(2) of the Gaming Act (Cap. 583 of the Laws of Malta).

Please contact the Sports Integrity team via email here.

Downloads

Title
Prevention of Corruption in Sport Act - Legislation