Latvian delegation hails MGA workshop as ‘useful exchange of experiences’

The Malta Gaming Authority recently welcomed a delegation from the Lotteries and Gambling Supervisory Inspection of Latvia at its premises at SmartCity.

The Latvian delegation was provided with an overview of the MGA’s organisational structure, the role and responsibilities of the various functions, and how they work together to contribute to the Authority’s overall strategy.

Heading the Latvian delegation, Jānis Ungurs, Director of Legal, described the visit as being a “very useful exchange of experiences”.

He went on to hail the MGA team as being very professional, and lauded the Authority’s openness to cooperation and training.

“The workshop exposed us to many initiatives that can be undertaken in Latvia,” he said.

The Latvian delegation was given an appreciation of the importance of data and analytics in decision-making and in policy-making, and of how the Authority collated data from its licensees and made use of it.

The MGA underscored the importance of monitoring the sector’s performance and how regulators should remain abreast of any developments and trends within the gaming industry.

The workshop went on to explore the MGA’s licensing process, criminal probity screening, the different types of approvals and the regulatory supervision function.

The Authority’s Finance Department provided a snapshot of the processes related to the collection of compliance contribution, as well as the revenue assurance function.

The Authority’s Anti-Money Laundering Unit, meanwhile, expounded upon the AML/CFT obligations at law, the examination process and post-examinations procedures.