Malta Gaming Authority ‘cannot speculate on scale’ of illegal election betting

As polling date nears, Maltese punters who want to stake a bet on the winner or the vote difference between the two major parties turn to a staple feature of any election: illegal gambling.

Reportedly conducted through a network operating out of Malta’s more notorious establishments, illegal betting made it to the spotlight when it was reported that police found €2 million in cash in the house of the middleman involved in the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Melvin Theuma.

Mr Theuma was reportedly involved in the operation of a parallel illegal lottery.

While financial crime investigators who spoke in 2023 estimated the size of the illegal lottery market at around €10 million, the market related to illegal election gambling remains unknown.

Speaking to BusinessNow.mt, the Malta Gaming Authority says it “cannot speculate on the scale of potential illegal activity.”

Asked if it allocates extra or specific resources to monitor the illegal market during election-time, the MGA says it “continuously monitors the market for unauthorised activity, including any potential betting markets that may be linked to sensitive or high-profile events.”

It says that “in line with its risk-based approach to supervision, the MGA continually assesses emerging risks and allocates resources accordingly. This ensures that monitoring and enforcement efforts remain effective, particularly during periods that may present heightened risk.”

Where any such activity is identified, the MGA says that it acts through the appropriate enforcement channels, including, where warranted, filing reports with the Police for further investigation.

Pressed on whether it has filed any reports, the MGA says that as a matter of policy, it does not comment on specific reports filed with the Police or on operational matters relating to monitoring and enforcement activity.

“At this stage, the Authority cannot comment on specific cases or speculate on the scale of potential illegal activity. However, it remains vigilant and committed to ensuring that the regulatory framework is upheld and that any breaches are addressed in a timely and proportionate manner.”

It continued: “For confidentiality and operational reasons, the Authority is not in a position to provide details on specific monitoring measures, resource allocation, or enforcement methodologies.”

Questions that were sent to the police were not answered by the time of publishing.