Consumer protection and anti-money laundering are at the centre of the European Union’s strategy for online gaming. This is reflected in the resolution adopted this 10th September by the European Parliament calling for increased co-operation amongst Member States on matters relating to consumer protection and money laundering in the context of the online gaming sector.
The resolution complements the roadmap entitled ‘Towards a comprehensive European framework for online gambling’ proposed by the European Commission whereby strong consumer protection measures will be embraced and cooperation between Member States be enhanced to reach the goal.
Being one of the largest online gaming licensing jurisdiction, Malta is heavily involved in these proceedings, having as the fundamentals of its gaming laws player protection and anti-money laundering, in line with the EU spirit of the resolution adopted by the European Parliament. This is a result of the decision of the Maltese legislator back in 2004, on the inception of the Malta Remote Gaming Regulations, to focus on regulation and transparency, providing a strict approach to licensing and monitoring of gaming operations. This has resulted in optimum protection for players on the one hand, to providing a regulatory solution to operators on the other, thereby achieving a balance between two opposing needs: the supplier’s and the customer’s.
