Gaming industry generated 7,000 jobs in first six months

The gaming sector generated 7,011 full-time equivalent jobs in the first half of 2019, an increase of more than 200 since December 2018, the gaming authority said.

By June 2019, the gaming industry employed 6,142 workers in the online gaming industry and 869 in the land-based sector. Both registered increases over December last year.

The figures come from the interim report for 2019 released by the MGA. It shows that the number of companies licensed by the authority, including both online and land-based entities, stood at 283 as at the end of June 2019.

The MGA said the gaming industry is the third largest private sector contributor to the economy with its input reaching 13.6% in the first six months.

The sector contributed €39.9 million in taxes and other fees during the period, an increase of €8.6 million over the same time last year.

The report says that the MGA’s Fit and Proper Committee held 19 meetings in the first six months, issuing 13 refusals. Six of these refusals for licences were at on-boarding stage and seven through ongoing monitoring.

Refusals were issued either because the company itself or the individuals connected to it were not deemed to be fit and proper.

The committee issued 48 conditional verdicts whereby further information and/or documentation was required to proceed with the final decision.

Between January and June 2019, following information which emerged from compliance audits, compliance reviews, and formal investigations, the MGA issued 11 notices of reprimand, suspended 11 licences and cancelled another seven. The authority also issued a total of eight administrative fines.