Gozo’s two gaming parlours had a field day last year as visits by punters climbed by 68 per cent, which is by far the largest increase across Malta.
The island’s two licensed outlets had almost 11,000 visits, according to the Malta Gaming Authority annual report for 2015. In the previous year, the two outlets had 6,500 visits.
There were 46 licensed gaming parlours across all localities, with the more populous northern and southern harbour districts accounting for the bulk of these outlets.
There were 18 street parlours in the southern harbour area that includes the Three Cities, Fgura, Paola, Żabbar and Valletta. Outlets in this district registered the largest number of visits at 108,000, which represented an increase of 10 per cent on the previous year.
The northern harbour district, which includes Birkirkara, Qormi, Ħamrun, Sliema, San Ġwann and St Julian’s, had 15 gaming parlours that recorded 94,000 visits, an upward movement of 23 per cent.
After Gozo, the second highest increase in visits to gaming outlets was witnessed in the south eastern district that comprises Marsascala, Birżebbuġa, Żejtun, Żurrieq and the villages around the airport.
Despite having only four outlets in 2015, one fewer than the previous year, this district recorded 15,000 visits, an increase of 40 per cent.
These street outlets saw their overall popularity increase by 17 per cent last year as visits by clients topped more than 280,000. This came at the expense of casinos that continued to experience a drop in Maltese patrons, a trend started in 2012. Nonetheless, the four licensed casinos recorded more than 780,000 visits, buoyed by a majority foreign clientele.
Casinos experienced an increase of eight per cent in visits last year, with particular peaks in months when international poker tournaments were held.
The MGA report does not delve into the social impact of gaming activities. However, the authority is expecting the results of such a study by the end of this year.
However, the report does show that there were 1,159 people who barred themselves from gaming parlours, casinos and bingo outlets last year.
Of these more than half asked for the self-imposed ban to last for six months while 48 per cent opted for a one-year ban. Under existing laws, gamblers can ask to be banned from entering such outlets and this ban cannot be withdrawn until the agreed period is up.
The MGA said there were also a number of gamblers who chose to bar themselves for an indefinite period.
The annual report gives a broad overview of Malta’s gambling sector, which comprises casinos, gaming parlours, lotteries, bingo halls as well as the ever-growing remote gambling industry.
kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com
Gambling money talks
Gamblers spent €333 million at land-based gaming outlets last year, figures released by the Malta Gaming Authority show.
Winnings totalled €255 million, leaving the industry with a gross revenue of €78 million, an increase of three per cent on 2014.
These figures include money spent by Maltese residents and tourists at casinos, gaming parlours, commercial bingo halls and sales by Maltco Lotteries.
In its annual report for 2015, the MGA said the gambling industry grew by 200 per cent last year and now accounts for eight per cent of GDP.
The contribution to the economy includes remote gaming operations licensed in Malta, which have grown significantly over the years.
At the end of 2015, there were 490 remote gaming licences issued by the MGA.
But public coffers also benefitted from the gaming tax collected by the MGA from remote and land-based operations. This amounted to €55 million in 2015 – of which €14 million came from land-based casinos.
Gaming parlours contributed €1 million in gaming tax, while taxes payable by Maltco Lotteries on sales generated during the year amounted to €12 million, representing an eight per cent decrease over the previous year. But Maltco Lotteries also contributed €649,000 to the Good Causes Fund. This money came from unclaimed winnings and which the company is bound to transfer to the fund.
MGA said that since 2013, the total gaming tax payable registered a year-on-year increase.
490 remote gambling licences and 36 per cent Maltese workforce
The gaming authority cancelled 13 remote gaming licences last year while another 22 were suspended, some over suspected links with the Italian mafia.
The annual report of the Malta Gaming Authority did not give details of the suspected criminal activity but said it worked in tandem with the police and the Financial Intelligence Analysis Unit.
Nine of the 22 suspended licences were flagged over suspicions they had links to the Calabrian mafia in Italy.
The authority issued 88 new remote gambling licences last year, bringing the total to 490. However, the number of companies holding these licences dropped to 269 from 283, which the MGA attributed mainly to mergers and acquisitions.
In a snapshot of who the remote gamblers are, the MGA said the bulk – 43 per cent – were aged between 25 and 34. Another 31 per cent form the 35 to 54 age cohort while 19 per cent are aged between 18 and 24.
Men made up 77 per cent of the remote gambling community.
There were almost half-a-million remote gaming customers, who self-excluded themselves from gambling sites for at least six months.
Remote betting on football by far outstripped betting on other sports. Wagers placed on football games accountedfor 74 per cent of all remote bets with tennis coming a distant second at nine per cent. Football contributed to 59 per cent of the turnover for online betting.
The MGA report also confirmed that the majority of employees in the remote gaming industry were foreigners.
Only 36 per cent of the sector’s workforce were Maltese.