MGA gambling selfexclusion requests at 1,393 in 2017
During the year under review, the number of self-exclusion requests in the land-based gambling sector increased by nine per cent, from 1,277 in 2016 to 1,393 in 2017.
The programme, which is a legal requirement, aims to minimise the negative impact of gambling, playing an important role in the recovery process of gambling addicts, by allowing them to exclude themselves from using betting platforms.
Of the 1,393, 52 per cent were for a period of six months, while the rest were for a duration of a year. During this period, one individual requested an indefinite exclusion.
In 2017, Maltese individuals made up 74 per cent of those selfbarred from land-based outlets (casinos, gaming parlours or bingo halls), with the number rising by six per cent since 2015. The self-barring facility was also used by foreign individuals, including Italians (4%), Syrians (2%), Bulgarians (2%), Romanians (2%) and Somalis (2%), among others.
Over the last three years, the vast majority of self-barred individuals have been male, constituting 71 per cent of all self-barred gamblers in 2017, with absolute numbers rising by 13 and 14 per cent in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
It is worth noting that since 2015, the gamblers aged 35-54 have been most likely to request self-barring. This needs to be seen in light of the significant number of players within this age group playing in casinos and gaming parlours.
Remote gaming operators licensed under the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) framework are also obliged to offer self-exclusion facilities to their customers. In 2017, the total number of self-exclusion requests from remote gaming websites licensed by the MGA amounted to just under 790,000 – an increase of 5.3 per cent over the figure recorded for 2016.
910,202 casino visits in 2017
The total number of visits to local casinos stood at 910,202, a minimal increase of 0.6 per cent over 2016, with the highest number of visits coinciding with the peak tourism season, with 96,429, visits reported for the month of August.
Non-Maltese players accounted for 54.3 per cent of casino visits during 2017, an increase of one percentage point over the previous year.
A notable demographic shift took place in the age groupings of visitors to casinos. The year 2017 was characterised by significantly lower visits for customers from younger age groups, compensated by an increase in visitors aged 55 or older, which more than doubled in 2017 when compared to the previous year. Men continued to account for over 60 per cent of total visitors to casinos, which generate a total of €17,038,381 in tax.
Visits to gaming parlous rise by 30%
The number of visits to gaming parlours rose by 30.5 per cent, from 432,1779 in 2016 to 564,090 in 2017.
This growth, the MGA report reads, was driven largely by the increased number of new gaming devices and the introduction of new types of devices in gaming outlets. Increased disposable income could also have contributed to this increase.
There are currently 52 approved gaming parlours in Malta, distributed across 29 localities. The highest number of gaming parlours are located in Birkirkara, Ħamrun, Paola and Valletta, with four outlets each.
Visits to gaming parlours were made predominantly by Maltese individuals, constituting 69.5 per cent of all visits registered in 2017. At the same time, visits by foreign customers went up by a significant 84.2 per cent during the year, increasing their share from 21.6 per cent to 30.5 per cent of the total visits.
Contrary to the tendency in casinos, visits to gaming parlours increased mostly for players in younger age categories during 2017. Visits by players within the 18-24 age category doubled, while those in the 25-34 age bracket rose by more than 60,000 (65.3%). Operators also reported an increase in visits by players in the 35-54 age group, which rose by 36.8 per cent year-onyear. On the other hand, visits by players within the older age brackets, between 55-64 and 65+, went down by 9.3 per cent and 12.6 per cent respectively.