Betting restrictions

After reading Peter Borg Olivier's letter, (Closure Of Dragonara Casino Sports Lounge, September 9), I could only come to one conclusion - this could only happen in Malta.

While the government concludes an agreement with the well-established betting company Maltco, giving it exclusive rights to sports betting, the Gaming and Lotteries Authority gives the green light to the Dragonara Palace Casino to open a Sports Lounge and conduct fair betting through a very reputable bookmaker in the UK.

What kind of a game is this? Russian Roulette? Perhaps the chairman of the gaming authority can explain why they approved a betting licence for the Dragonara Palace, involving the company in thousands of liri to set up this operation, only to revoke it a few months later.

I would also like to ask a question of Maltco Ltd. When are they going to give us, horseracing fans, the chance to watch and bet on racing from the UK and other countries? They have hundreds of outlets, yet the only betting one can engage in is the lotto draw, which is over 100 years old, Super Five, that boring Keno and three-match football forecast. (Odds are often too tight.)

May I remind Maltco that they are losing thousands of liri in illegal horseracing betting that has been going on for years in various parts of the island. To all those in the betting industry: give us, honest punters, a break.