Cruise Operators Not Agreeing With Malta Casino Fee Plan

Cruise chiefs are saying that they are angry about the new regulatory changes which will request ship operators who run casinos onboard to pay up to €30,000 in order to offer gambling services inside their ships while sailing Maltese waters. Furthermore, lawmakers have also proposed to charge ship casinos with €150 per year for every game table and €100 per year for each gambling machine. At this point in time, cruise ships are not even allowed to run their casinos while sailing on Maltese waters.

Besides taxes requested for gaming machines and gaming tables, operators will also be obliged to pay an additional €20,000 concession fee and will be requested to pay €8,500 per year in order to maintain a license which will allow them to run their casinos. Cruise liner agents are saying that this endeavor is completely irrational, taking into consideration that the Maltese cruise ship industry is currently confronting with a drop in demand.

Major players in the local market are commenting that the Government will do more harm than good by accepting this new proposal in a time when operators already requested that new changes to the Gaming Act should be made in order to make Malta’s cruise port more attractive so it would get ahead of the competition and meet customer demand. It will be interesting to see how legislators will respond to cruise chiefs’ requests. Our casino software developers will follow this story and inform you about the latest news in the gambling world.