Yanica Sant to depart Malta Gaming Authority

Yanica Sant has resigned as general counsel at the Maltese gambling regulator.

Malta.- The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has confirmed that Yanica Sant has stepped down as the regulator’s general counsel.

It said that Sant will leave the MGA in February to take up a position in the private sector. She will no longer perform regulatory, inspectorate or enforcement duties, or sit on internal committees.

Sant has been with the MGA since September 2014. She joined the regulator as an intern in the legal department, and progressed in the organisation, serving as legal advisor, then senior legal counsel head of policy and international affairs. She was appointed general counsel in February of this year.

In her latest role, she served on the MGA supervisory council, commercial communications committee, fit and proper committee and compliance and enforcement committee.

The MGA said: “The MGA would like to thank Yanica for her sterling work over the last seven-and-a-half years, and her invaluable contributions at all levels of the Authority’s hierarchy and to most high-level projects over that time, including notably the drafting of the regulatory framework which was published in 2018.

“We wish her the best of luck in her new endeavour, confident that she will continue to demonstrate the values which the MGA proudly upholds.”

In October, the MGA updated its requirements for key function holders and auditing. The changes include a requirement for new applicants for Maltese gaming licences to inform the authority of the identities of their CEO, compliance executive and AML executive.

Meanwhile, on suspicious betting, critical gaming supply operators must meet the same standard as B2C providers and must report suspicious betting on sporting events to the MGA through its Suspicious Betting Reporting Mechanism (SBRM). Use of the system became an obligation for operators at the start of the year.