National Lottery plc a subsidiary of the IZI Group, takes over the operation of national lotteries from Maltco on Saturday, with a promise to improve existing games and introduce new ones.

The new operator has been awarded a 10-year exclusive licence by the Malta Gaming Authority to operate games which include the popular Lotto and Super 5.

The award of this licence concluded a process which started a year ago with an international call for proposals. Two offers were submitted. National Lottery plc’s offer was for €105,077,777. Sisal Malta Consortium submitted a €53,330,001 bid.

Carl Brincat, CEO of the Gaming Authority, while thanking all the stakeholders involved in the process, highlighted the importance for all players in the industry to observe the highest levels of compliance.

“The Authority is confident that the concessionaire shall dedicate all resources necessary to maintain the very highest level of operational and compliance standards, and as has already been made clear, will invest in taking care of its players and doing its utmost to avoid gaming-related harm,” he said when handing over the licence documents.

National Lottery plc CEO, Johann Schembri said this was the opening of a new era for the national lottery of Malta, with plans to grow the lottery market in Malta to unprecedented levels.

"The licence granted by the Malta Gaming Authority confirms the hard work that we have been undertaking and our commitment to deliver an innovative, forward-looking and above all fair and transparent national lottery service. We look forward to these next 10 years to elevate the national lottery service to the highest levels of quality and to grow the market to unprecedented levels," he said.

Economy Minister Silvio Schembri said this was a historic milestone for the gaming industry in Malta. He said that it had been ensured that  National Lottery plc was committed to promoting, designing and putting into practice the principles of responsible gaming, while protecting the personal well-being of players.

"The national economic profit that translates from gambling should be given importance, but not at the expense of the player” he said.

National Lottery plc takes with the first Lotto draw this Saturday at 8.35pm followed by the first-ever Lotto draw Tuesday. Tuesday Lotto is one of the changes that National Lottery is introducing.