Carl Brincat to hand over the reins at the MGA

The Board of Governors of the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has released a statement to inform the general public that CEO, Carl Brincat will not be seeking renewal of his current contract, which expires on the 25 January 2024.

In the Press Release, the Board extends its appreciation to Dr Brincat for his exceptional leadership during his tenure as CEO. “Carl has made extensive contributions to the Malta Gaming Authority and to the gaming industry in Malta and we are confident in, and very thankful for, the strong foundation he leaves behind as we continue to pursue the MGA’s strategic goals,” he said.

Dr Brincat added: “Leaving the MGA is a very hard decision to make. The past 9 years have been a rollercoaster of experiences which contributed to the person I am today, and it has been a privilege to lead the Authority for the past 3 years. Looking back, I am proud of the work that we have done together, and of the highly motivated team that surrounds me at the Authority 카지노사이트위키 . I look forward to continuing to deliver our commitments over my final few months, and have no doubt that my successor will find that the fantastic team at the MGA can help him or her continue to drive improvement further. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for the Authority.”

As part of the senior leadership succession plan, the Board will be issuing a public call for applications for the position of chief executive officer over the coming days to cater for a smooth transition from Dr Brincat to his successor. The chosen successor shall spend a number of weeks shadowing Dr Brincat before commencing his or her term on 26 January 2024.

Online gambling: 'I stole £70,000 to feed my addiction'

"I was about 18 or 19 when I got hooked," says Danielle.

"It started off with a £20 bet online where I won £1,000 and then it got bad really quickly."

Before she knew it, Danielle was using her student loan, overdraft and even phone bill to gamble online.

"I was in a bad place and it filled an emptiness in my life. People assume everyone does it to win money or for the excitement, but it stopped me feeling lonely and anxious."

Statistics published by the gambling charity GamCare show that of the 38,404 calls received to its helpline between 2019-2020, six out of ten were from people aged 35 or under.

This age group also makes up more than half of those getting treatment, according to The National Gambling Treatment service.

Danielle's 24 now and says the turning point came last year.

"I'd started stealing money from work and the total was almost £70,000 by the time they confronted me about it.

"It actually felt like a massive weight off my shoulders to admit it and accept that I needed help."

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Danielle lost her job and her case went to court earlier this year. She admitted theft and false accounting and was given a suspended jail sentence and 175 hours of community service.

She says she's been lucky to receive counselling and support from her family since, but thinks more targeted help should be available for young people struggling with a gambling addiction.

"There needs to be more education in schools about gambling and money management," says Danielle.

"It's such a huge problem for people growing up.

"Also my GP prescribed me with medication for depression and anxiety as if that was going to fix everything, but that's not how addiction works."

Danielle's met other gamblers in recovery through a network called TalkGen, which wants to improve education and understanding of gambling harm. It was set up in 2020 by Kishan Patel, a fifth year medical student.

"Growing up I was massively affected by my dad's addiction," he says.

"There were times when my family really struggled for money and there was a big cultural stigma in my community too, where people wouldn't want to talk to us because of it."

Kishan's dad died eight years ago and he has seen the emotional and mental impact of gambling first hand.

But he says it isn't thought of as a health concern in the same way as drugs or alcohol addiction is: "There are guidelines for health professionals around these issues, but gambling is neglected when it shouldn't be."

He would like it to become something GPs consider asking vulnerable patients about, in the same way they might do with other addictions:

"Just a simple question like, 'Do you gamble?' could help open up the conversation. It's a really serious health issue we need to be addressing."

'It got so much worse when I turned 18'

Figures from the Gambling Commission from 2018 show that 1.7% of 11-16 year olds in England, Wales and Scotland are classed as problem gamblers.

It's something Ross, who's now in his 20s, can relate to - he started when he was a child.

"I was 12 when I used to gamble at my local chip shop, using all my money from my paper round and borrowing money from friends when I could," he says.

"But it got so much worse when I turned 18 and could do it legally.

"The majority of it was in pubs on the fruit machines. I did some pretty dark things I'm not proud of, like stealing from family and friends so I could gamble."

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