MGA Suspends Goldwin’s Authorization Over Customer-Unfriendly Practices

The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) announced that it has suspended the authorization awarded to Goldwin, the company behind Westcasino. The gambling company has been accused of sporting anti-player policies and possibly failing to meet its obligations to the customers in a timely manner.

The Operator Must Allow Customers to Withdraw Funds
According to the MGA, Goldwin, which was the holder of MGA license MGA/B2C/533/2018, had had its authorization suspended as of September 2024. The move aligned with Malta’s Gaming Compliance and Enforcement Regulations, which the gambling company breached, according to the authority.

As a result, Goldwin and its brands are no longer permitted to carry out any gaming operations, the MGA announced. However, the company is required to retain and provide access to its existing players so that they can withdraw their funds.

The MGA’s drastic decision to suspend the authorization of Westcasino came as a result of what the MGA described as customer-unfriendly practices.

Goldwin Can Appeal the Suspension
The MGA elaborated that Goldwin had violated four provisions emanating from reg. 9 of the Maltese regulations.

According to the MGA, the gambling operator failed to comply with one or more applicable obligations in terms of any regulatory instrument or any other applicable law of Malta. The authority thus considered that Goldwin’s actions represented an “imminent threat of serious prejudice to the interest of players.

Goldwin, furthermore, either failed to meet its commitments to players in a timely manner or the MGA believed that such failure was imminent. As a result, the MGA, in its sole discretion, determined that there is “material and sufficient reason to suspend the authorization.”

The MGA added that Goldwin is allowed to try to appeal the suspension.

In other news, the MGA recently added five gambling websites to the list of websites that it is not associated with. The authority noted that some of them have claimed to be affiliated with the MGA, when this had, in fact, been incorrect. The regulator advised players to remain vigilant and carefully choose the sites they play with.