A legal notice published in the wake of further COVID-19 restrictions has permitted gaming parlours to remain open under restricted conditions.

The notice in question, LN101, exempts gaming parlours and Maltco’s point of sale outlets from being closed down as part of the closure of places open to the public order (LN87).

Through LN87, Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci gave the order to close down cinemas, theatres, gyms, museums, exhibition halls, open-air markets, casinos, bingo halls and all non-residential swimming pools.

But the following day, another legal notice included a proviso that allowed gaming parlours to remain open.

“Provided that gaming parlours shall open solely and exclusively to provide sports betting through the till and for no other service, and clients are not to remain inside the gaming parlours after availing themselves of such sports betting service,” the notice reads.

The amendment also states that “premises in which the games offered to the public are those forming part of the national lottery shall only offer those games with the direct intervention of the agent or seller holding the relevant permit”.

Clients are also not allowed to remain inside the outlet following the purchase of their tickets.

The amendments are part of a raft of legal notices covering various restrictions published last week. The superintendent of public health has ordered the closure of all outlets selling non-essential items or services and the closure of all restaurants except for take-away and delivery services.

Schools and organised sports activities have also been shut down. The restrictions are set to remain in place until at least April 11.

Curiously, a news report published in Illum includes a screenshot of a Maltco post announcing that its lotto outlets have been reopened while attributing instructions received to do so to the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA).

The post was later amended and the reference to MGA was removed from the Facebook post altogether.

While the legal notice states that the superintendent of health signed off on it, the previous version of Maltco’s post suggests the MGA gave instructions to operators directly rather than through the health authorities.

Questions have been sent to the health ministry as well as the ministry for economy to ascertain why the exemption was made for these specific outlets.