The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has completed a thorough review of the Fiscal Receipts Lottery or VAT belonging to the island nation. The main purpose of the review was to identify any potential problems or gaps in the procedure. The MGA assessed all fiscal receipts that were sent by public members to the Ministry for Finance and Employment. While the respective lottery is not normally subject to MGA’s review under official laws, an exception was made by the regulator. 

Maintaining “Fair and Transparent Proceedings”

The inspections that were completed as part of the detailed review process showed that the right safeguards were already actively used by the lottery as part of its standard procedures. The regulator was able to provide a fully comprehensive breakdown of all the steps of the process, starting with the initial collection stage and all the way to selection. According to the standard procedure in place, once a receipt is received, it is originally put in a container that is then poured into a special urn. The urn is turned on when the container count reaches a certain level to fill up the urn. Next, the power switch that rotates the urn is locked in position with the help of a numbered seal. This prevents any additional movement from occurring while stopping any potential interference from the outside. The entire procedure is photographed step by step. The photos are sent to the Commissioner for Revenue department.

As additional security, fairness, and transparency measures, the numbered seal is exclusively cut when the board members designated to complete the draw are present in the room. The list includes Commissioner for Revenue department members, members of the national Audit office, the Ministry for Finance and Employment, and the National Audit Office, together with members of the public.

The Ministry for Finance and Employment decides who will make the actual draw of receipts. Upon the completion of a new draw, all remaining receipts are di[posed so they can no longer be used. 

Recommendations Have Been Issued

The Fiscal Receipts Lottery Unit and the Authority remain committed to enforcing all needed steps to guarantee high levels of transparency regarding lottery draws. For the moment, the MGA did not present any official recommendations to the general public regarding the review’s findings. Nonetheless, its recommendations have been sent and already discussed with the Ministry for Finance and Employment. 

In mid-September, the MGA presented its annual report containing information on the organization as well as Malta’s gambling market.