Malta Gaming Authority chief’s departure ‘not resignation’

Tista taqra dan l-artiklu bil-Malti.

Carl Brincat, the CEO of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), will step down from his post in January, insisting it is not a resignation while not giving any further details on why.

Brincat has held the position since 2021 but told The Shift he will cease being the CEO of the iGaming industry regulator when his three-year contract ends in January 2024.

“My departure is not a resignation, but rather my decision not to renew my three-year definite contract,” he told The Shift.

“This decision was made in accordance with the terms outlined in my contract.”

He denied that his decision resulted from alleged divergences of view with Economy Minister Silvio Schembri, who is responsible for the authority.

Brincat insisted that he has a very good relationship and any suggestion of a soured relationship is “entirely unfounded”.

Brincat also told The Shift he has yet to finalise his next step but that, as per current rules, he will take six months of garden leave, during which he cannot work for any clients of the MGA.

According to a revolving door policy introduced by the Government in 2020, Brincat is not supposed to work for any gaming company for at least six months after leaving his position.

Gaming industry sources told The Shift that Brincat will most likely move into the private sector, like many other former MGA officials in the past.

They said that although Brincat had a very good financial package at the MGA, amounting to some €110,000 a year, he will earn much more in the private gaming industry.

The sources added that the ‘garden leave’ policy is not well-enforced by the government and has been repeatedly breached by officials in recent years.

Unlike his two predecessors, Brincat’s departure will not be accompanied by any significant scandal.

Brincat’s former boss, Heathcliff Farrugia, left suddenly after he was exposed for allegedly passing insider information to a casino operator. He later faced criminal charges in court.

Despite ongoing procedures, Farrugia still works in the gaming industry.

Farrugia’s predecessor, former Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) boss Joseph Cuschieri , left the regulator with a legacy of abuse and nepotism.

Cuschieri was found to have accompanied Portomaso casino boss Yorgen Fenech on a Las Vegas holiday trip with his then-chief legal officer, Edwina Licari.

Cuschieri was forced out of his MFSA job when this reached the press.

In addition, during his stint at the MGA, the regulatory issued a record number of direct orders, and its spending increased significantly.