Lotteries and Gaming Authority inspectors have been instructed to stop surveillance and seizing illegal gambling machines around Malta, The Sunday Times of Malta is informed.

The LGA board has directed its inspectorate unit to stop monitoring and confiscating gambling machines found in places not authorised by the authority, according to sources.

The LGA has enhanced its enforcement procedures with a unit set up by the police force

A spokesman for Parliamentary Secretary Edward Zammit Lewis, politically responsible for the LGA, confirmed that such a decision has been taken but refused to explain the reasons behind it.

The Parliamentary Secretariat said it was not in a position to release details on certain LGA decisions as this was highly sensitive to its operations and the safety of inspectors.

“However, we can confirm that the LGA has lately enhanced its regulatory enforcement procedures in collaboration with a new unit set up by the police force.

“The authority is currently looking into revising its legal powers with regards to regulatory enforcement and is making recommendations to the Government on how these can be improved for various gaming sectors in Malta.”

A copy of the instructions seen by this newspaper states that “the inspectorate is prohibited from seizing machines from any premises not licensed by the LGA as clearly defined by the LGA Act”.

Questions sent to the police regarding the new unit mentioned by the Parliamentary Secretariat remained unanswered at the time of going to print.

From its inception, it has always been the remit of the LGA’s inspectorate unit to gather intelligence on illegal gambling and to intervene where necessary, including through the seizure of illegal apparatus, where required. It is the first time that the inspectorate, which costs some €600,000 a year in salaries, has been directed otherwise.

Illegal gambling machines mushroom from time to time around the country, keeping LGA officials busy seizing them from bars in villages and unauthorised gaming parlours.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, LGA officials told this newspaper that the board’s decision, taken last June, hampered the authority from exercising its enforcement function.

The LGA law currently empowers its inspectorate to act as Malta’s enforcement authority when it comes to illegal gambling. According to the Lotteries and Other Games Act, authority inspectors may “remove any gaming device or amusement machine and any equipment, or software connected thereto from their current location to another location approved and designated by the authority for the purpose of conducting inspections, testing or examinations on such gaming device, amusement machine, equipment or software”.