TITLE: Malta Gaming Authority Publishes Thematic Review Findings on Self-Exclusion Practices BODY: On 2025, the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) published the results of a Thematic Review examining how online business-to-consumer (B2C) licensees implement self-exclusion and responsible gambling safeguards. The Review was conducted following reports that some players were able to access multiple brands despite being self-excluded due to problem gambling. The MGA assessed the real-world performance of player protection tools across 20 licensees and 58 active URLs. A mystery shopping exercise evaluated the effectiveness of self-exclusion processes, cross-brand account controls, and the presentation of responsible gambling protections at key points of play. The Review identified systemic weaknesses and clarified regulatory expectations relating to player protection. Overall, the Thematic Review indicates a positive level of compliance, with the majority of licensees demonstrating practices broadly in line with regulatory expectations. However, the assessment highlighted specific areas requiring enhancement: delays in activating self-exclusion; instances where exclusions were lifted without applying a mandatory cooling-off period; challenges in detecting duplicate or closely matching player identity details across brands; the absence of limit-setting prompts during registration; and incomplete information displayed within Reality Check pop-ups. The MGA has communicated the findin ... (1996 chars total)