MP and ministerial consultant, to chair responsible gaming foundation

Labour MP Silvio Schembri has been appointed chairman of the Responsible Gaming Foundation – an independent institution which was set up earlier this year with the scope of helping, educating and preventing problems related to gambling.

Schembri is also the chairman of the parliamentary committee for economic affairs,

José Herrera, parliamentary secretary for competitiveness, thanked Schembri for accepting the responsibility on a voluntary basis, saying that this would leave more money to be invested directly in the foundation.

“Schembri’s experience in the field will certainly assist him in giving the Responsible Gaming Foundation a solid basis to build on,” Herrera said.

Lotteries and Gaming Authority chairman Joseph Cuschieri said that a percentage of the proceeds collected from gaming licensees will be transferred to this foundation, to finance responsible gaming initiatives.

The launch of the Responsible Gaming Foundation is one of the new initiatives to consolidate the gaming industry in Malta from a wider perspective. In a flourishing gaming industry, which employs over 7,000 and makes up around 10% of GDP, the foundation will play an important balancing act as the LGA is in the process of introducing stricter regulations to regularise unregulated sectors such as social gaming.

The Responsible Gaming Foundation will be funded by contributions by the national lotteries operator Maltco, EU funds and other funds made available by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority. It includes representation from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry for Social Solidarity, LGA and the industry.

Schembri is already a paid consultant for Chris Cardona, the minister for the economy, under whose ministry falls Herrera’s secretariat. He is paid a €38,512 salary to supervise the implementation of electoral measures falling under the responsibility of the ministry for the economy, and close to €63,000 together with his parliamentary honorarium.