LGA Lets Lock Poker Back In

Friday September 16,2011 : Failure to notify Authority of intermediary arrangement cited as reason for previous lock out
 
The Malta Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA) has clarified its position with regard to a statement earlier this month which effectively distanced itself from online poker room Lockpoker.eu.
 
The initial statement from the Authority said "Lockpoker.eu is not licensed with the LGA", despite Lock Poker's association with the Merge Gaming Network who was recently awarded a category 4 operating licence by the LGA.
 
The LGA has defended the statement saying it was not notified timeously that Lockpoker.eu was part of an intermediary arrangement with Alfard Malta Ltd (who holds a Malta licence) and will be operated on the Merge Gaming Malta platform.
 
The full statement reads:
 
"Lockpoker.eu
 
"Lockpoker.eu is a website which has now been notified to the Authority as an intermediary of Alfard Malta Ltd (holder of a Maltese Remote Gaming Licence LGA/CL3/694/2010) which is to be operated on the Merge Gaming Malta platform (holder of Licence LGA/CL4/693/2010). Although duly licensed in Malta Alfard Gaming Ltd does not yet have the authorization to go live from Malta as currently Merge Malta Limited is in the process of finalising its technical setup in accordance with the Maltese Regulations, a process to be concluded shortly.
 
"The Authority, however, denies spins by certain sections of the media. This was a case of having failed to notify the Authority of an intermediary arrangement in a timely fashion. The Authority, ever vigilant in the public interest, took immediate action as it does in all similar cases, irrespective of the nature of the infringement."