Malta had opposed a proposed definition of legal gambling at a recent EU meeting because it viewed it as at attempt by some member states to protect their gaming monopoly, Finance Minister Tontio Fenech told parliament today.

He said Malta had seen through the "ulterior motives" of other member states.

Mr Fenech was answering a question by Labour MP Alfred Sant on Malta's stand at the meeting attended by Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi.

Mr Fenech said other EU countries wanted to keep their monopolies on legal gambling and concoct definitions to this end.

The European Court of Justice had recently allowed some restrictions because of money laundering and other illegal activities, but Malta's laws already took care of this, he added.

Asked whether Malta's objection to the definition could be an obstruction to legal gambling, Mr Fenech said the two issues were unrelated. Malta had seen through the ulterior motives in certain definitions with many more wide connotations. Some other countries had eventually started to agree with Malta.

Source: Times of Malta

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