Mario Galea, who was removed as Lottery and Gaming Authority chairman after just five months at the helm, has been appointed as a consultant following the decision to merge his former post with that of CEO.

The decision means that Joseph Cuschieri, who was chief commercial officer at Vodafone Malta, is now executive chairman of the LGA.

I saw nothing unusual in the timing

Reuben Portanier, who was CEO, has left the regulator. Parliamentary Secretary Edward Zammit Lewis yesterday told Times of Malta the reason for the restructuring was to merge the policy and implementation aspects of the gaming watchdog. Mr Cuschieri was the right choice to lead the LGA and Mr Galea, who had been appointed chairman in May, would still contribute as a consultant, he said. Prior to his short stint as chairman, Mr Galea served as CEO between 2004 and 2008 and was mostly remembered for the introduction of the remote gaming regulations. He is also an external consultant for the New Jersey division of gaming enforcement in the United States.

Asked whether it would have made more sense to make the changes in May, when the new board was appointed, Dr Zammit Lewis said he saw nothing unusual in the timing.

He said the feedback received following a similar merger in the top posts of the Malta Information Technology Agency was positive.