EMEA
MGA Revokes Tipster’s Licence
The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has taken decisive action against Tipster Limited, revoking its licence. This decision comes on the heels of the MGA’s suspension of Tipster’s licences in July, primarily due to the company’s ongoing liquidation proceedings.
Following the cancellation, Tipster is mandated to inform its players about the termination of its licence and must promptly eliminate all references to MGA certification from its online platforms. Furthermore, Tipster is obligated to reconcile any outstanding dues with the MGA. It’s noteworthy that all licence suspensions and terminations by the MGA can be challenged through an appeals process.
Earlier, Tipster had also seen the withdrawal of its sports betting licence in Germany by the GGL. Notably, Jörg Gollnick from Heidland Werres Diederichs has been designated as the interim administrator, given the District Court of Cologne’s approval for Heidland Werres Diederichs to supervise Tipster Service GMBH’s liquidation process. This development followed shortly after the police conducted a search operation at the offices of the Tipster Group.
Media coverage highlights the involvement of around 1,000 officers in a collaborative mission between the Rhine-Westphalia financial police and the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Bundeskriminalamt. This large-scale operation was initiated based on suspicions of illicit gambling, extensive money laundering, and tax evasion. Moreover, various German anti-corruption agencies and police units from both Croatia and Malta were active participants.
Since 2010, Tipster Ltd GMBH has held a German sports betting licence, initially granted on a provisional basis by the Regional Council of Darmstadt. The company, headquartered in Ta’Xbiex, Malta, also operated other platforms like Norobet and Kuka.de.
In related news, just last month, the MGA withdrew the B2C gaming service licence of EGMIT Elite Limited, directing the company to cease all MGA-licensed activities and erase any mention of the MGA on its Elite24bet site. The MGA highlighted serious violations by EGMIT Elite, leading them to file an official police report and initiate liquidation proceedings against the operator. These infractions pertained to multiple Gaming Compliance and Enforcement Regulations, specifically regulation 9 (1) sub-sections (b), (c), (d), (i), (l), and (m).